Halifax Shopping Centre is adding retail giant Winners to a larger location on the site as part of its multi-million dollar redevelopment project.
Sherri Kelsie, General Manager of the Centre, confirmed the new Winners is slated to open in the Spring of 2024.
She said Winners will be in 38,000 square feet in the former Sears space which was about 150,000 square feet.
“We have the Halifax Shopping Centre Annex which is located across the street from us which is a lot of big box retailers, a lot of outdoor retail. Winners is actually located there currently as a tenant of ours now. So they will be moving across from the Annex and moving into the shopping centre and are expanding by about 11,000 square feet,” said Kelsie.
“Bringing that into the enclosed shopping centre for sure will provide a complement to our existing fashion retailers 100 per cent. We’re really excited for them to be moving into the shopping centre and help with the retail experience. We’ll have ladies, mens, children and home decor as well.”
The shopping centre is 647,000 square feet and managed by Cushman and Wakefield Asset Services.
The shopping centre opened a new lululemon store in September and a new Swatch store in October. There’s also a pop up Frank and Oak which opened in October for five to six months with the possibility of the retailer continuing in the shopping centre after that.
Simons will be opening its first location in Atlantic Canada in about 56,000 square feet of the former Sears space. It will take up the upper level. Winners will take the majority of space in the middle level of the old Sears site. There’s an additional 5,000-6,000 square feet in that level which will be used as a restaurant. The lower level of the former Sears is like an exterior and it will have two tenants, not being disclosed at this time, moving into that space of about 45,000 square feet.
“Simons and Winners should both be opening by Spring of 2024. And those will be the last two to open. We intend to have all of the retailers hopefully opened by Spring of 2024 including the restaurant,” said Kelsie.
“I think having the addition of Winners coming in and Simons, especially being new to the market, is going to expand greatly on our retail here and it’s exciting for the city for sure. We just had a really strong Black Friday as well so the momentum we’re hoping will continue through the holidays and continue through 2023.
“We’ll continue to be focusing on our customer experience and expanding our retail mix to suit all of our shoppers. So we’re really looking forward to 2023 and 2024.”
In May, the Halifax Shopping Centre announced it was embarking on a $52-million redevelopment project that will dramatically enhance the shopping experience by providing new retail and dining options as well as an updated aesthetic. The new design will complement the previous $70-million redevelopment completed in 2017, with a focus on natural light and clean, modern finishes.
The updated Halifax Shopping Centre, designed by MMC International Architects Ltd. will feature a three-level glazed atrium connecting fashion, lifestyle, and site amenities. The atrium space will be flanked by an additional entrance, allowing for increased pedestrian flow.
Halifax Shopping Centre is the leading retail complex in Atlantic Canada, featuring a range of exclusive retailers including Apple, Aritzia, Browns, Michael Kors, Victoria’s Secret, and Zara. The site features over 170 stores and services including prime office space and was named one of the Top 30 Shopping Centres in Canada by the Retail Council of Canada study.
Kelsie said traffic and sales have been increasing since 2021.
“Our traffic has been increasing as well as our dwell time in the shopping centre. I think we’re going to have a great holiday and probably a really great 2023,” she said.
