Canadians who have been burned by department store stocks before may be skeptical, but the coming initial public offering by Hudson’s Bay Co. is finding strong demand south of the border that looks likely to ensure the share sale gets done.

There are many large fund managers that specialize in retail stocks in the U.S., and with their knowledge of the industry they are proving open to the pitch that HBC can increase sales significantly in its Canadian stores to create growth. Some of the U.S. investors are also more bullish on the Canadian economy and the health of the Canadian consumer – with all the talk of high household debt in this country.