Toronto’s Sherway Gardens shopping centre opens its 210,000 square foot North Expansion today, the first phase of the mall’s $550 million redevelopment. Two further expansions will see the centre anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom by early 2017.
The new wing features a 38,000 square foot Sporting Life store and a 24,000 square foot Harry Rosen menswear store, both relocated from other parts of Sherway Gardens. Several new retailers are located in the new wing, including Saje Natural Wellness, Ted Baker, Judith & Charles, Uno de 50, Maison Birks, L’Oro Jewellers, Chopard, OMEGA and David’s Footwear. Retailers opening soon include Kate Spade, Free People, De Beers, Indigo, Eileen Fisher and Samsung.
The expansion’s second level also features dining experience Gourmet Fare, replacing the mall’s south-end food court. The former food court, as well as the wing around the former Sporting Life store, will be overhauled for Toronto’s third Nordstrom location. The 138,000 square foot Nordstrom is set to open at the end of March, 2017.
Saks Fifth Avenue is scheduled to open a 132,000 square foot store on February 25, 2016, in part of Sherway Gardens’ former 225,000 square foot Sears space. Saks will also feature a food hall operated by Pusateri’s Fine Foods.
We’ll be reporting more on this story with updated details from landlord Cadillac Fairview.
Canadian malls are expanding too much, and we could be building ourselves into the American situation, with too much retail, and lower productivity.
The amount of high end stores is also concerning. Why do all these stores need branch locations, when their have downtown locations not even a 15 minute drive away?
They are just spreading the same shoppers among more stores.
Not only does this have a negative effect on the downtown retail environment. But it could also backfire on these malls, if all this retail cannot be supported.
It still boggles my mind how North American cities need 10 of each high end store, while European cities generally just have one or two city centre locations for high end stores.