Hudson Bay Co. entangled in rent payment disputes as pandemic hurts bottom line

In recent months, property firms behind prominent shopping malls across North America have taken Hudson’s Bay Co. (HBC) to court to claim unpaid rent totaling millions of dollars. While industry analysts question the financial security of the Canadian icon, recently taken private following a months-long process, key HBC executives cite the landlords’ unwillingness to absorb the share the costs of the pandemic as the primary reason for the dispute.

Charles de Brabant, Executive Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management, finds HBC’s Montreal location far behind the times financially despite its remarkable customer service.