Crowds of Toronto shoppers line up for Zellers grand reopening

Crowds of nostalgic shoppers poured into Zellers as the Canadian retail chain opened its doors once again at select stores in Ontario.

Before the store opened at 10 a.m. on Thursday, shoppers lined up in the rain outside of Scarborough Town Centre, one of the select locations opening in the province.

On March 14, Zellers announced it would be reopening 25 stores across Ontario and Alberta, and relaunching its e-commerce platform, after being closed for about a decade.

In the Greater Toronto Area, the retailer welcomed shoppers at Erin Mills Town Centre in Mississauga and Burlington Mall in Burlington, in addition to the location in Scarborough. Across Ontario, Zellers is back open for business in Cambridge, Kingston, London, Ottawa, and St. Catharines.

Ahead of the official opening, a DJ played “pump up” jams, and by 11:30 a.m., Zellers Diner on Wheels opened for Scarborough customers to pop in for a bite as they peruse the big box store’s famous “everyday low prices.”

Diners could grab a big “Z” burger, hot chicken sandwich, grilled cheese, chicken fingers, or fries and gravy.

While Zeddy did not make an appearance on opening day, the chain’s mascot is expected to come back soon.

With files from CTV News Toronto’s Andrew Brennan and The Canadian Press