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THE ABORIGINALS AND THE HUDSON BAY COMPANY The most common of theories explaining how the First Nations and Inuit people arrived to North America, is that they are descendents of people that came from Asia about 30000 years ago. It is assumed that they used a land bridge to cross from Siberia into Alaska that was formed during the ice age. However, the ancestors of the Inuit came later about 4500 years ago. Travelling across the continent, aboriginal peoples have developed different customs and languages depending on where they are they settled. However, when the Europeans arrived, the lives of all Aboriginals changed forever. Trading between the Europeans and the Aboriginals were important as both parties were dependent on what the other could provide. The Europeans wanted fur and traded the aboriginals with metal tools, pots, and other items. Consequently, they became partners in the fur trade as well as the exploration of Canada. The aboriginals taught the Europeans how to survive in the largely unmapped Canadian territories. The Europeans established a very strong bond with the aboriginals whereby they were taught how to live like them from building and using canoes, toboggans and snowshoes to the use of aboriginal medicine such as ingesting spruce bark to cure scurvy. Therefore, together the Europeans and the aboriginals were able to explore the Canadian territories and exploit the natural resources available. HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY TERRITORY 1821 TO 1870 Aboriginal women played a crucial role in the fur trade, where they took the job of preparing the furs for transportation. They were physically strong which was helpful when HBC employees travelled long distances. They could haul as much as two men could. They carried supplies as well as large animals that were hunted back to the camp where they would make a meal out of the animal, and the fur of it usable. Therefore, this made aboriginal women very helpful to HBC employees since it freed their time to do other tasks that would benefit them economically. The Aboriginal women also were able to save up a large amount of money that the HBC would have paid instead to 2 male employees for one Aboriginal woman. This was one of the main sources of profiting for the HBC. Hudson’s Bay officials were trading with the Aboriginals for fur and had no competition, limiting the need for exploration of more land and sources of fur. HOW THE HUDSON BAY COMPANY REMAINED COMPETITIVE With the introduction of competitors in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Canadian marketplace experienced integration. With this, HBC became the “parent company” of the retail and online stores in order to maintain their position with the new competitors in the market. These stores are: The Bay, Zellers, Home Outfitters, Fields, and Designer depot. Also, as a method of advertising, the Hudson Bay Company was the official outfitter of clothing for members of the Canadian Olympic team in 1936, 1960, 1964, 1968, 2006, 2008 and 2010. The contract will end following the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. On March 2nd 2005, the company was announced as the new clothing outfitter for the Canadian Olympic team with a $100 million deal, providing clothing for the 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012 games. KEEPING UP WITH CANADIAN CONSUMER SHOPPING HABITS * Increasing the use of technology in stores The development of various kinds of in-store technology in recent decades has led to new in-store services. These technological innovations include the widespread use of bar codes and point-of-service price scanning, related tools such as interactive kiosks etc…. According to a recent survey, Canadians are willing to shop at stores with in-store self-service technology. * Giving the consumers what they want This is done through a strong connection between the employees at the stores and the consumers themselves. The “customer service” department is very important in all companies, since without consumers, the business would bankrupt. Also, through questionnaires and understanding consumer shopping habits, there will be a clearer idea on what consumers want and need.