The mothballed Zellers brand has come back to life in a former Hudson’s Bay Company store space at Londonderry mall in Edmonton.

A new Zellers store quietly opened Friday at the Leyad-owned mall. The outlet became the first tenant to occupy a former Bay store. The iconic company continues to unwind and shut down under a creditor-protection process.

The soft opening is expected to be followed by an official opening at a later date.

“We are thrilled to bring back a beloved Canadian brand that stirs up nostalgic memories for many of our shoppers, while providing an opportunity to introduce Zellers to a new generation,” said Henry Zavriyev, CEO of Montreal-based Leyad, who announced the new lease on Thursday. “This announcement represents a bold step forward in reimagining retail space and responding to community demand with purpose and vision.”

The new Zellers has taken up one floor, about 60,000 square feet, of the former Bay’s outlet’s two-storey location.

Ironically, the Bay previously owned the Zellers chain before shutting down all of the discount retailer’s locations more than a decade ago. The Bay resurrected some Zellers stores briefly in recent years, but all were closed again.

Leyad did not disclose who is operating the Zellers store. Canadian Tire did not purchase any Zellers intellectual property when it bought the Bay’s intellectual properties for $30 million from the company earlier this summer.

But CBC uncovered a court document that shows the Bay transferred Zellers intellectual property, including the store brand, to Toronto-based retail investor Les Ailes de la Mode for an unspecified price in early August.

Les Ailes de la Mode is owned and operated by the owner of the Fairweather and International Clothiers.

Photo: Cushman & Wakefield