Wise Stores was a
department store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...
chain located in
Eastern Canada
Eastern Canada (also the Eastern provinces or the East) is generally considered to be the region of Canada south of the Hudson Bay/Strait and east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces (from east to west): Newfoundland and Labrador, ...
. It was founded in 1930 in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
by Alex Wise
and constituted on March 31, 1949, as Wise Stores inc.
By October 1988, the company had 28 stores and acquired 15 Continental outlets in eastern Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario to bring to 43 the total number of Wise locations.
In 1992, the company acquired the even longer running and competitor Peoples department stores from
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
retailer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...
.
Under the terms of the purchase, the Wise and Peoples chains could not completely merge until the outstanding balance owed to Marks & Spencer for the transaction had completely been paid in full. Because of this restriction, Peoples was instead operated as a
subsidiary
A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...
of Wise.
Wise was basically a
discount department retailer with store dimensions averaging those of
Hart
Hart often refers to:
* Hart (deer)
Hart may also refer to:
Organizations
* Hart Racing Engines, a former Formula One engine manufacturer
* Hart Skis, US ski manufacturer
* Hart Stores, a Canadian chain of department stores
* Hart's Reptile W ...
,
Greenberg and Peoples; in contrast to the larger-sized
Zellers
Zellers was a Canadian discount department retail chain and is currently a brand name owned by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). Founded in 1931 in London, Ontario, in later decades it was based in Brampton, Ontario. Zellers was acquired by HBC i ...
,
Woolco
Woolco was an American-based discount retail chain. It was founded in 1962 in Columbus, Ohio, by the F. W. Woolworth Company. It was a full-line discount department store unlike the five-and-dime Woolworth stores which operated at the time. At its ...
and
Kmart
Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States.
The company was inc ...
. Wise launched in June 1993 the chain Wizmart, a wholesale concept specialized in the sales of good derived from bankruptcies and closings. At its peak, the company operated five divisions: Wise Stores inc. (48 stores), Peoples Stores inc. (178 stores), Wizmart, KLHR Liquidation, and NRMA.
In 1994, the company shuttered 13 underperforming Wise and Wizmart stores.
Peoples declared bankruptcy on January 13, 1995, while Wise avoided it but would still get liquidated anyway.
Wise eventually went bankrupt too on January 31, 1995. Wise's incapacity of paying the amount it owed Marks & Spencer for the Peoples acquisition was the main reason for the demise of both chains. There were 53 Wise and 73 Peoples stores in operation at bankruptcy.
The original Wise store, located on 6751 St-Hubert street in the
La Petite-Patrie
La Petite-Patrie is a neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located in the borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie.
The area is bounded on the west by Hutchison Street, to the north by Jean Talon Street, to the south by the Canadian Pac ...
neighbourhood, operated throughout the entire 65 years of the company. Its founder Alex Wise was still chairman of the company as late as December 1994. He died on January 12, 2004, at the age of 97, and one of his three sons who presided the company with him, Ralph, died on October 21, 2015.
29 of Wise and Peoples's vacated spaces became
Hart Stores
Hart Stores Inc. is a mid-sized value-driven department store in Eastern Canada. It was founded in 1960 by Harry Hart, in Rosemère, Quebec. Hart stores is based in the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, and Ontario. The head office used to be i ...
in August 1995. Another 27 former locations of Wise/Peoples were acquired also in August 1995 by Winnipeg-based Gendis which used them to open mainly new
Metropolitan Stores
Metropolitan Stores of Canada Ltd. (often referred to as The Met or Metropolitan) was a Canadian variety department store chain based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The company was incorporated in 1908 as F.H. Brewster & Company, renamed Metropolitan S ...
and to a lesser extend stores from its other banners such as Red Apple and Greenberg. Six other stores (all Wise locations) had already been sold in March 1995 to
Rossy
Rossy is a Canadian regional chain of variety stores located primarily in the provinces of Quebec, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada.
The company was founded by Michael Rossy in 1949. During the 1960s to the 1990s, different R ...
by the liquidator in charge of disposing the bankrupt retail chain.
Locations
Quebec
*
Boucherville
Boucherville is a city in the Montérégie region in Quebec, Canada. It is a suburb of Montreal on the South Shore (Montreal), South shore of the Saint Lawrence River.
Boucherville is part of both the urban agglomeration of Longueuil and Greate ...
—
Place Pierre Boucher
Place may refer to:
Geography
* Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population
** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government
* "Place", a type of street or road name
** Often ...
*
Chandler
Chandler or The Chandler may refer to:
* Chandler (occupation), originally head of the medieval household office responsible for candles, now a person who makes or sells candles
* Ship chandler, a dealer in supplies or equipment for ships
Arts ...
— Rue Commerciale
*
Chandler
Chandler or The Chandler may refer to:
* Chandler (occupation), originally head of the medieval household office responsible for candles, now a person who makes or sells candles
* Ship chandler, a dealer in supplies or equipment for ships
Arts ...
— Place du Hâvre (Peoples store)
*
Chateauguay — Rue Anjou
*
Delson
Delson is an off-island suburb ( South shore) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is situated 8 mi/13 km SSE of Montreal within the regional county municipality of Roussillon in the administrative region of Montérégie. The population as ...
—
Plaza Delson
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
*
Gaspé — Place Jacques-Cartier
*
Greenfield Park —
Place Greenfield Park
This is a list of shopping centres in the Urban agglomeration of Longueuil, in the Montérégie region of Quebec.
Boucherville Carrefour de la Rive-Sud
Carrefour de la Rive-Sud is a power centre inaugurated in 2002 in Boucherville, Quebec at the ...
*
Joliette
Joliette is a city in southwest Quebec, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Montreal, on the L'Assomption River and is the seat of the Regional County Municipality of Joliette. It is considered to be a part of the North Shore of Greate ...
— Les Galeries Joliette
*
Lachute
Lachute () is a town in southwest Quebec, Canada, northwest of Montreal, on the Rivière du Nord, a tributary of the Ottawa River, and west of Mirabel International Airport. It is located on Autoroute 50, at the junctions of Quebec Provincial ...
— Carrefour Argenteuil
*
LaSalle —
Centre Le Cavalier
*
Laval
Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of:
People
* House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne
* Laval (surname)
Places Belgium
* Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxem ...
—
Carrefour Laval
Carrefour Laval (corporately styled as "CF Carrefour Laval") is a super regional shopping mall in Laval, Quebec, Canada. It is located in the Chomedey neighbourhood of the city at the intersection of Autoroute des Laurentides (Laurentian Expre ...
*
Laval
Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of:
People
* House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne
* Laval (surname)
Places Belgium
* Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxem ...
—
Centre Saint-Martin
*
Longueuil
Longueuil () is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and the central city of the urban agglomeration of Longueuil. It sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly acr ...
—
Centre Jacques-Cartier
*
Longueuil
Longueuil () is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and the central city of the urban agglomeration of Longueuil. It sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly acr ...
— Chemin de Chambly (Carrefour Super C)
*
Montmagny — Galeries Montmagny
*
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
— Iberville Street
*
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
—
Plaza Côte-des-Neiges
This is a list of small shopping centres in the island of Montreal.
Baie d'Urfé
Plaza Baie d'Urfé
Plaza Baie d'Urfé is a small strip mall located in Baie d'Urfé, Quebec, Canada on 90 Morgan Street across from Quebec Autoroute 20. The shopp ...
*
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
—
Plaza Saint-Hubert
St. Hubert Street (officially in french: rue Saint-Hubert) is a north–south street that spans the island of Montreal. It is located east of Berri Street.
It traverses the boroughs of Ville-Marie, Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Rosemont–La Petite-P ...
*
Montréal-Nord
Montreal North (french: Montréal-Nord) is a borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It consists entirely of the former city of Montréal-Nord on Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec. It was amalgamated into t ...
—
Place Levasseur
*
Paspebiac — Plaza Paspebiac.
*
Pierrefonds — Pierrefonds Boul.
*
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
— Carrefour Soumande
*
Rouyn-Noranda
Rouyn-Noranda ( 2021 population 42,313) is a city on Osisko Lake in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec, Canada.
The city of Rouyn-Noranda is a coextensive with a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) and census ...
— Les Promenades du Cuivre
*
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu () is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec, about southeast of Montreal. It is situated on the west bank of the Richelieu River at the northernmost naviga ...
— Carrefour Richelieu
*
Saint-Jérôme
Saint-Jérôme () ( 2021 population 80,213) is a suburban city located about northwest of Montreal on the Rivière du Nord. It is part of the Montreal of Greater Montreal. It is a gateway to the Laurentian Mountains and its resorts via the ...
—
Carrefour du Nord
Carrefour du Nord is a regional shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with s ...
*
Sainte-Foy —
Place Laurier
Place may refer to:
Geography
* Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population
** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own Municipality, municipal government
* "Place", a type of street or road ...
*
Sainte-Foy —
Place Sainte-Foy
Place Sainte-Foy is an upscale shopping mall located in the former city of Sainte-Foy, Quebec City, Sainte-Foy of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It is owned by Ivanhoé Cambridge.
The Anchor store, anchors are La Maison Simons, Simons, Signature M ...
*
Saint Léonard —
Jean-Talon Street East
*
Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke ( ; ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional count ...
— Carrefour de l'Estrie
*
Victoriaville
Victoriaville is a town in central Quebec, Canada, on the Nicolet River. Victoriaville is the seat of Arthabaska Regional County Municipality and a part of the Centre-du-Québec (Bois-Francs) region. It is formed by the 1993 merger of Arthabask ...
— Boulevard des Bois-Francs N. (Place Sogestec)
Nova Scotia
*
Bridgewater — Bridgewater Mall
*
Dartmouth —
Mic Mac Mall
Mic Mac Mall is Atlantic Canada's largest enclosed shopping mall located in the community of Dartmouth, across the harbour from Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is owned and managed by Mic Mac Mall Limited Partnership.
With stores on three levels, Mi ...
*
Glace Bay
Glace Bay (Scottish Gaelic: ''Glasbaidh'') is a community in the eastern part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. It forms part of the general area referred to as Industrial Cape Breton.
Formerly an incorporated t ...
— Commercial Street
*
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
— Main Street
*
Truro
Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...
—
Truro Mall
New Brunswick
*
Bathurst —
Chaleur Centre Mall
Chaleur (French for "warmth") may refer to:
* Chaleur Bay, or Baie des Chaleurs in Canada between Quebec and New Brunswick
* Montreal – Gaspé train
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canad ...
*
Tracadie — Rue Principale
*
Shediac
Shediac (official in both languages; ''Shédiac'' is colloquial French) is a heavily Acadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. The town is home to the famous Parlee Beach and is known as the "Lobster Capital of the World". It hosts a ...
— Rue Main
Ontario
*
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
— Pitt Street
*
Hawkesbury Hawkesbury or Hawksbury may refer to:
People
*Baron Hawkesbury, or Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool (1727-1808), English statesman
Places
;Geography
*Hawkesbury Island, an island in British Columbia, Canada
* Hawkesbury Island, Queensland ...
— Main Street
References
{{Reflist
See also
Peoples Department Stores Inc. (Trustee of) v. Wise
Companies based in Montreal
Retail companies established in 1930
Retail companies disestablished in 1995
Defunct retail companies of Canada
Department stores of Canada
Privately held companies of Canada
1930 establishments in Quebec
1995 disestablishments in Quebec