Vancouver Hudson's Bay store temporarily closed for air conditioner maintenance

Signs have been posted on the doors of Vancouver’s flagship Hudson’s Bay location notifying shoppers the store is temporarily closed.

Notices at the entrances near Granville and West Georgia streets indicate the closure is due to scheduled maintenance.

According to the company, Vancouver’s current heat wave has “caused strain” on the building's air conditioning system.

“The store is closed while we perform maintenance on our HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system. We are working to address (it) as quickly as possible. The comfort and well-being of our customers and associates is always our top priority,” said a spokesperson for Hudson’s Bay.

The downtown Vancouver location has suffered from maintenance issues for months, affecting some elevator and escalator service.

“Seeing the kind of lack of care and investment in a store sends a signal that the leadership isn’t seeing optimism in that store,” said David Ian Gray, a retail analyst. 

That wasn’t the only Hudson’s Bay to be temporarily closed this week. Similar signs were displayed at other B.C. stores, including in Victoria and Coquitlam, and in Windsor, Ont. 

Gray was shopping at the Penticton location Tuesday when it suddenly closed as well. He described the temperature inside as "warm," but cooler than outside. 

“It was kept cool by independent units – fans and cooling units – that were plugged in by staff,” he said. "Whether (the HVAC is) malfunctioning everywhere because of the heat or if there's a cost that accelerates in very hot conditions that they don't want to pay for ... I'm not sure." 

The company would not confirm how many store closures there have been across Canada, only that each one was related to HVAC issues.

Upgrades planned for flagship location

Major upgrades for the six-storey downtown Vancouver location were announced in 2022.

The Hudson’s Bay Company and its partner RioCan Real Estate Trust plan to build a 12-storey office tower on top the existing building.

It would add an additional one million square feet of space and provide up to 5,000 jobs.

The existing 400,000 square feet will include a revamped version of the Bay retail store as well as restaurants.