It's hard to imagine a Canadian brand as iconic as Hudson's Bay leaving one of its first homes after more than two centuries, but the company is set to close its downtown Edmonton location after 207 years.

The company announced recently that its Edmonton City Centre mall store will be closing this September after being a mainstay in downtown Edmonton since 1802 when the area was still growing.

It will be only one of several luxury retailers to close its downtown Edmonton location, including Holt Renfrew, which shuttered in January. Since then, it's stood as the last remaining department store in the downtown core.

The 168,000-square-foot store will reopen on May 19 when some retailers in Edmonton are allowed to resume in-store sales, but close permanently in September.

The company cited its desire to "accelerate its strategy to elevate the brand and improve performance" in a news release as the reason for the closure while Oxford Properties sold the Edmonton City Centre space last year to make way for possible redevelopment.

The gradual move of department stores to the suburbs, online shopping and fast fashion have all played a role in the disappearance of luxury department stores in downtown areas.