Hudson’s Bay opens the largest women’s shoe store in Canada at its Queen Street flagship

HBC president Bonnie Brooks has brought a couture boutique, a new logo and several buzzy partnerships to Hudson’s Bay since taking over in 2008. The latest step in the dumpy department store’s transformation into a trendy retailer: a gleaming 50,000-square-foot ladies shoe department in its downtown flagship. The vast space—reportedly the country’s largest women’s shoe store—occupies the entire west side of the ground floor and has Hudson Bay’s mid-range brands grouped in shop-like bays. The high-end shoes formerly displayed in The Room have also moved downstairs to an expanded boutique at the Bay Street entrance, offering shoppers a wider selection from the likes of Christian Louboutin, Azzedine Alaïa, Charlotte Olympia and Pierre Hardy. The men’s footwear, meanwhile, remains relegated to the second floor. Sorry, guys.