Eaton's
The T. Eaton Company Limited (also known as just Eaton's and Eaton) was a Canadian chain of department stores that sold a variety of different products. They were headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. They had 200 stores across Canada at its peak and were one of the largest retail chains in Canada.[1]
 | |
| Company type | Private (1869–1998) Public (1998–1999) |
|---|---|
| Fate | Bankruptcy, sold to Sears Canada |
Number of locations | 200 (peak) |
Key people | Timothy Eaton John Craig Eaton John David Eaton |
| Products | Department store products |
On December 8, 1869, Timothy Eaton opened his first store on Yonge Street in Toronto, Ontario. In 1896, the company grew even more and they added more space to hold their factories and mail order division. On July 15, 1905, Eaton's expanded into western Canada and opened a store on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg, Manitoba.[2] The 1900s saw Eaton's become the largest department store in Canada. In 1918, store employee Ivor Lewis built the Timothy Eaton statues outside the Toronto Eaton Centre and Eaton's Downtown Winnipeg stores. People passing by the statues started to run the toe on the statue's left foot for good luck.[3]
Eaton's launched the Eaton's catalogue which was one of the first to be distributed by a Canadian retail store. It had around 200,000 orders per year and was in both English and French.[4] They stopped publishing it on January 14, 1976.[5]
Eaton's was the sponsor for the annual Eaton's Santa Claus Parade. They created the parade after holding a promotion where Santa Claus walked to the Eaton's store in Downtown Toronto from Union Station on December 2, 1904.[6] The first one was held on December 2, 1905 and Eaton's sponsored it until 1982.[7][8]
Around the 1980s, an economic recession hit Canada and more competition by other stores caused Eaton's business to start to decline. Decline in the business was also caused by in-fighting between members of the Eaton's family and business mismanagement.[9]
In 1997, Eaton's filed for bankruptcy.[10] In September 1999, Sears Canada purchased Eaton's for $30 million.[11][12] Sears Canada converted the remaining Eaton's stores into Sears before they themselves went defunct on January 14, 2018.
Eaton's Media
The cover of the first Eaton's catalogue, published in 1884.
The Eaton's store, the Eaton's Annex, mail order facilities and factories in Toronto, at Yonge and Queen Streets, in 1920.
Eaton's Santa Claus Parade, 1918, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Having arrived at the Eaton's store, Santa is readying his ladder to climb up onto the building.
An Eaton's shopping bag, circa 1997
Eaton's logo of a lowercase e used from 1998 to 2002
Built in 1917, the Neils Hogenson House was ordered from the Eaton's Catalogue, and sent as a kit. This example is located in Stirling, Alberta.
References
- ↑ Memory Lane: Remembering Eaton’s, a uniquely Canadian experienceSudbury.com. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ↑ Eaton’s Department Store (320 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg)Manitoba Historical Society Archives. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ↑ From the ArchivesEaton's. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ↑ Canadian Mail Order Catalogues: historyLibrary and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ↑ Eaton's catalogue closed Jan. 14 1976Calgary Herald. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ↑ The little bear from Eaton's catalogue of dreamsThe Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ↑ History: Dec 02, 1904- longest running children's parade begins in TorontoCanadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ↑ Saving the Santa Claus ParadeTorontoist. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ↑ ‘Don’t tell me how to run my store’: Inside the demise of Eaton’sTVO. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ↑ Vulture funds take over after the demise of Eaton's in 1997CBC News. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ↑ Sears buys Eaton's name, eight storesCBC News. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ↑ Plan to carve up Eaton's okayed; Sears comes out the winner with stores, sharesToronto Star. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
