Retail Insider continues its Photo Tour series of Canadian malls which began as a result of COVID-19 closures. We have been providing insights into shopping centres coast-to-coast which may otherwise be overlooked. This edition takes us to the Willowbrook Shopping Centre in Langley, BC within the Metro Vancouver area. The one-level shopping centre contains approximately 140 stores spread across around 60,064 square metres (646,520 sq ft) of retail space. QuadReal Property Group is the owner and management company for the shopping centre.
The main anchors for the shopping center include:
- Hudson’s Bay (131,000-square-feet)
- Nordstrom Rack (30,000 square feet): Opened September 17, 2020 being the first in Metro Vancouver.
- Winners: Opened May 23, 2020
- T&T Supermarket (39,000 square feet – preparing to open later in 2021)
Junior anchor stores for the shopping centre include a 44,000-square-foot Toys R Us store, a 42,000-square-foot Sport Chek store, and a 20,200-square-foot H&M store. All three anchors were recently relocated to a reconfigured space that was once home to a Target store before the US chain exited Canada in early 2015.
History of Willowbrook Shopping Centre
The shopping centre opened in 1979 and has undergone a number of major expansions and renovations, with the last one in 2020 which included the expansion and relocation of Toys R Us and Sport Chek to the former Target space.
Landlord QuadReal announced in July 2021 their expansion plans to add a new 27,500 square foot section called THE COURTYARD. Included will be 10 new food and beverage options and an entertainment area in an outdoor village-like configuration as part of an effort to attract shoppers and increase dwell time at the retail centre.Â
Breaking up Willowbrook Shopping Centre
Willowbrook Shopping Centre is roughly laid out in a racetrack format with a couple additions on the south (bottom) side of the mall. As a result, the simplistic, one level layout was divided into four quarters for the purpose of this retail tour.
- Upper Left (highlighted in Red): Main anchor would be the upcoming T&T Market.
- Upper Right (highlighted in Green): Main anchor Hudson’s Bay
- Lower Right (highlighted in Orange): Main anchors of Nordstrom Rack and Winners.
- Lower Left (highlighted in Purple): Main anchors of Toys R Us, Sport Chek and H&M.
Upper Left section of Willowbrook Shopping Centre
The ‘upper left’ quadrant in the northwest corner is the first tour zone of the shopping centre. T&T Supermarkets is planning on opening a location to anchor this portion of the mall in the fall and will span 39,040 square feet. Job fairs were noted in July 2021 while touring the shopping centre.
Other retailers in this section include Lenscrafters, Purdy’s Chocolates, Boathouse, Blackwell Supply, Lids, Below the Belt, Lululemon Pop-Up, Journeys, Serena, Bentley, Jack & Jones, EB Games, Call It Spring, Nutrition House, Peoples Jewellers and Mountain Warehouse.
Upper Right section of Willowbrook Shopping Centre
Continuing eastward from the first tour zone brings the tour to the northern exit where several stores have shuttered in anticipation of a construction/expansion of THE COURTYARD.
The extreme eastern end of the shopping center is the long-standing anchor tenant, the Hudson’s Bay Company.
Other retailers in this section include Sephora, The Children’s Place, Icing, Anne-Louise Jewellers, Aldo, Little Mountain, Michael Hill, Sirens, Pandora, Golden Tree Jewellers, The Source, The Shoe Company, Bootlegger, Ricki’s and Spencers.
- Plenty: Vancouver-based fashion retailer opened its tenth location in Willowbrook Centre in July 2021.
- Bailey Nelson: Australian eyewear retailer will be opening a new location being at Willowbrook Mall in September 2021.
Lower Right section of Willowbrook Shopping Centre
The ‘lower right’ quadrant in the southeast corner portion of the shopping centre includes another entrance for the main anchor tenant of the Hudson’s Bay. It is also home to the current food court for the shopping centre.
The first-in-BC Nordstrom Rack opened in September 17, 2020 spanning about 30,000 square feet as well as a Winners store which opened May 23, 2020.
In addition to the food court, the other retailers include American Eagle, Claire’s, Zumiez, Quilts Etc., Urban Kids, The Body Shop, Northern Reflections, Foot Locker, Sunglass Hut, House of Knives, Showcase, Kerrisdale Cameras, Sunrise Records, Artic Fame Diamonds, Ben Moss Jewellers, Bath & Body Works, Soft Moc, Murchies Fine Tea, Coles Bookstore, and T. Kettle.
Lower Left section of Willowbrook Shopping Centre
The ‘lower left’ quadrant in the southwest corner portion of the shopping centre contains several large format retailers which repurposed the former Target space.
We hope you enjoyed this update of Willowbrook Mall in Langley, B.C. and are always excited to see the changes at Canadian shopping centres. Don’t forget to check out our other retail photo tours over the past few months. Thank you for taking this tour with us.
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