Thebay.com / Hudson's Bay [HBC]

Fashion Fiasco

The Bay’s White Space Gala held in Vancouver on October 5th was a fashion flop. If the occasion was meant to revive the Bay’s image, industry insiders concur, it’s a long road ahead. In a nutshell, the night was uneventful, uninteresting and unsuccessful according to sources. The looming question stands, can Bonnie Brooks save the company?

Event planners along with the CEO’s need to take a crash course on how to plan and execute @Successful Store Launch! No publicity, polish, people or pizzazz translates into not much of a party. Where was the promotional advertising for the event? Where were the expected shoppers? The buzz from bloggers in attendance… they didn’t get the word out!

The talk was about the lack of good food and entertainment, not fashion’s night out at the Bay. Why weren’t more customers thrilled or interested in the store’s updated look and designer duds? At one point, I was expecting to see fashion road kill on the catwalk…from the awkward looking models skittishly making their way down the runway.

The Bay has lost all credibility, in both buying and selling power! Incompetence seems to run rampant in the store from the employers, employees and service end. Even the company's face-lift and higher-end designs to higher-end prices can't lure customers back.

Over the years, the Bay has been typecast into an unforgettable category I refer to as the three TTT’S! Tacky, tarnished, definitely not trendy! This was a crucial night for the Bay to shine, their golden ticket out of old-fashioned oblivion. Are they forever destined to follow in the fashion shadow of Holt Renfrew? One thing remains certain; the Bay is still cheap and affordable. I can still shop there for my socks…