The building that housed the G.W. Robinson Company was originally owned and operated by the Watkins Company Limited. In March of 1898 a disastrous fire left the Proctor Building, belonging to John Proctor, metal merchant, in ruins. Frederick Watkins purchased the site after breaking his business partnership with Thomas H. Pratt, and had a building erected to house his dry goods business.

The building that Watkins had built was constructed of Buff Brick, Berea stone, plate glass and had an ornamental topping on the roof made of galvanized iron. The building, which stood two-storeys high, was designed by Charles Mill and was constructed by a collaborative effort of numerous contractors, native to the Hamilton area.

Robinson saw the need for something unusual to draw the public to his store, which at the time, lay outside the retail nucleus of King Street East. He therefore arranged to have the first showing of a motion picture in Canada in his store. The shows were held in a roped off section on the second floor which was made dark for the occasion. His idea was an instant success, proving to be excellent for business, and for the reputation of the store. Profits increased continually, as did the size of the business. The thriving store outgrew its premises and required several renovations enlarging the facilities to accommodate the expansion.

The building, which housed the store in 1899, stood two-storeys high. Just twenty years after opening, the store stood over five-storeys high. In 1920, another storey was added onto the building, and a rear addition added an extra floor space of 18,000 square feet. The renovation project also included the installation of a 2-way escalator, travelling from the first floor to the second floor. The escalator ran on electricity and was capable of moving at a speed of 70 feet per minute or 2,100 people per hour. It was built and installed by Otis-Fenson Elevator Company. All departments were equipped with electric cash registers to increase the efficiency of customer service, and a new soda fountain and luncheonette were added. The interior was finished in a rich mahogany and steam tables were installed to ensure that food was served hot. There were buffet seats and glass topped tables for the comfort of the patrons. The fifth floor was entirely a new addition, whose use predominantly served as a storeroom and workroom, while also providing space for further expansion if ever necessary.

By 1924, Robinson’s had been given the reputation of being known as "Hamilton’s Shopping Centre", and had grown into one of the mightiest department stores in Canada. For the Robinson Company, the customer was the backbone of their success. This was illustrated by their slogan, "Quality and Service", a term which was born out of the idea that the employees of Robinson’s owed their employment to the customer who made the store their shopping place. Robinson’s staff was encouraged to ensure that each customer was served quietly, efficiently and quickly. To encourage their staff, Robinson’s, among few retail stores, shared its annual profits with its employees.

The Robinson’s store was ravaged by a disastrous fire in March of 1926. The total damage was estimated at $700,000. The upper floors were gutted by fire while the lower floors, where stock was stored, were severely damaged by water. It was suspected that the fire began somewhere between the roof and the ceiling of the fifth floor. Firefighters, upon arriving on the scene, met with a solid wall of fire that stretched 200 feet from the front to the rear of the building.

When all was said and done, the storefront display windows looked like aquariums, James Street was a frozen mass, and the Robinson’s store was destroyed.

In 1929, G.W. Robinson retired and appointed R.L. Smith, former Vice-President, as President of the Company. Smith had been connected with the retail business for over 25 years, having been the General Manager of R. McKay & Co., dry goods, located on King Street East.

In 1954, the Company was sold to the British firm of Owen & Owen Limited of Liverpool, who owned and operated ten English department stores. The company had been associated with Robinson’s for years, as a British agent and purchaser. The Owen & Owen Company planned a renovation for the James Street store. They decided to construct a new storefront and install new high-speed elevators and escalators. The contract, worth an estimated $200,000, was given to Otis Elevator Company. The architect for the modernization project was Peter Bell of William Souter & Associates. The new storefront was designed to harmonize as much as possible with exterior of the Royal Bank. An article in The Spectator, dated September 27, 1957 described the façade: "The striking storefront will feature an innovation in Canadian merchandizing – the first use of a new type of non-reflecting window in this country. This eye-catching design concept employs broad expanses of glass sloping rearward from a knee-high handrail. Window reflections are absorbed by the dark underside of a projecting canopy and fluorescent lighting is concealed in the handrail to supplement illuminations from overhead. This combination softens shadows and provides backlighting for an attention-winning display."  The modernization project gave Robinson’s the largest display windows in the city. The entire main floor was to be a background for window shoppers passing in the street.

Over the next six years, the James Street store underwent extensive renovations whose total cost came to $1,300,000. In 1959, at a cost of $100,000, a new air conditioning system was installed. The project was carried out by Goodram Brothers Limited of Hamilton. A newly painted mural decorated the main floor. It was a montage depicting the new City Hall, the Skyway Bridge and busy construction equipment. All this was presided over by the familiar Gore Park statue of Queen Victoria. The main floor was finished in beige banded in blue, with diffused lighting. The second phase of the renovation, costing $185,000 included the installation of a new stairway to the second floor, the replacement of the escalator, a new ceiling and floor, and an advanced type of design for each of the merchandise displays.

On July 10, 1961, the two historic merchandising names of G.W. Robinson and Finch Brothers Limited, located on King Street West, merged. In an agreement between the two, the Finch store was sold to the Robinson’s company, thereby giving Robinson’s access to the three main business arteries of James, King and MacNab Streets. Robinson’s then opened a budget store, spending $65.000 on renovations, which included the installation of new fixtures, lighting, air-conditioning and stairs. The two floors were converted into a self-serve, high quality, low cost retail merchandising operation. According to Mr. Dakin, general manager of Robinson’s, the purpose of the new store was to speed up shopping for those who preferred the self-service method and wished to carry their purchases with them. The store was to provide a wide variety of clothing and accessories.

The following years, the last traces of the nineteenth century architectural design were removed. Craftsmen were employed to replace the brick and multi-windowed front with marble panels and stainless steel grill. In addition, the company planned to construct Hamilton’s first overhead pedestrian link between the two downtown stores. The project was designed by Prack and Prack and erected by Pigott Construction Company.

On October 15, 1968, Robinson’s opened a store in Burlington, located at Burlington Mall. The interior, occupying 100,000 square feet, was designed by Copeland, Novak and Iarari. The aisles were wide and the ceilings were high. Diffused lighting was used throughout, and the floors were finished in either gleaming tiles or soft carpeting. There was a beauty salon, a hearing aid department, a garden shop, and a restaurant, whose name, Fisher’s Court Restaurant, marked the link between the mall and the pioneer Nelson Township family, on whose farm the mall is located.

In 1969, plans went ahead to make the James Street store as modern in appearance as the Burlington store. The company allotted $2,000,000 for the project. The rebuilding program was to include a new front fascia and a new canopy. The show windows were brought out to the street, and the exterior sides and the back of the store were finished in a combination of white marble and bronze tone aluminum, to compliment the previously installed Italian marble, on the front of the store. The second phase of this renovation project was to include an addition to the rear of the store.

In the early 1980s, the nine Robinson’s stores were purchased by two Vancouver businessmen, Joseph Segal and John Levy. Both new owners were familiar with retail operations. Mr. Segal was the previous owner of Fields Department Store in British Columbia. In 1976 he acquired controlling interest in the 156-store Zellers chain. Mr. Levy was first associated with Mr. Segal in the Fields operation and eventually retired as President and CEO of Zellers. He returned from retirement when the purchase was made. Levy and Segal decided that the store would continue operating under the Robinson name. Two years after the company was taken over by Segal and Levy, they joined forces with the three-store chain in Ottawa of Charles Ogilvy Limited.

Next to come was the debate over Sunday shopping. In December 1983, the Robinson-Ogilvy stores decided to open on Sundays for a seven-hour shopping day, which was a huge success. The number of shoppers in attendance was immense and the profits soared. This would mark the beginning of a long controversial debate over whether stores should be allowed to open on Sunday. The Robinson stores were continually fined by the Police department for opening on Sundays, which opposed the shopping laws.

Plans to move the headquarters from Hamilton to Burlington were carried out in 1984. The company had rented 30,000 square feet of office space on Blair Road. The following year, Robinson’s abandoned their traditional market and became a "seven-day-a-week discount operation", selling goods at prices between ten and fifty cents below other major stores. The change was fueled by the store’s difficulty in competing with larger chains, such as Eaton’s and Sears. The store was seeking to break new ground in Canada by offering brand name goods at prices below those of other chains..

In January of 1974, the Company had decided it was necessary to have a warehouse in which to store their merchandise. The warehouse was located in Stoney Creek and cost $1,500,000 to construct. Twelve years later it was torn down, and the one hundred employees that staffed the warehouse were laid off. The reason for the closure was financial; the company could not afford shipping stock to a central warehouse. Instead, it was decided that the goods would be shipped directly to the stores. The employees were given a severance package of one-week severance pay for every year of service. This agreement exceeded the requirements of the Employee Standard Act.

By 1986, Comark Services Inc., which already owned 650 retail stores in Canada, announced its expressed intention to purchase all the outstanding common shares of the twelve Robinson Ogilvy Ltd. stores. It was hoped that the take over would bring some stability to the suffering retail giant. The Comark Company decided to have Robinson’s continue to operate as a traditional department store. Their pricing was to fall somewhere between the levels of Sears and Eaton’s.

In 1989, the original Robinson’s store, located on James Street South, was slated for closure. The company ensured the store staff that their positions were secure; they would simply be transferred to another location. The closure was prompted by prolonged operation difficulties related to reduced pedestrian traffic on James South after the construction of Jackson Square. The Royal Bank then purchased the Robinson building which was conveniently located beside its James Street Branch.

In 1992, five more Robinson’s stores, including two in Hamilton, were sold to the Hudson’s Bay Company. The stores included the Robinson’s outlets at Eastgate Square, Centre Mall, Lime Ridge Mall, the Penn Centre in St. Catharines, and Place d’Orleans in Ottawa. There were also plans to sell other stores in Ottawa, Kitchener, and Waterloo. According to Robinson’s President Gord Fauteaux, the sale of the stores was part of ongoing efforts to downsize.