Article content As the key Christmas shopping season was kicking off, Hudson’s Bay Co. ULC found itself shut out of a mall in Coquitlam, B.C. It turned out that the retailer hadn’t paid rent in months and the landlord opted to lock the doors to the store in the middle of the night. The dispute between HBC and the landlord in late November was not an isolated one. Property firms behind prominent shopping malls in North America have fought several high-profile court battles in recent months against the department store chain, looking to claim rent arrears that total in the millions of dollars when added all together.