The newest tenant at New Horizon Mall, just outside of Calgary city limits, is the SkyCastle Roller Rink which will open in mid-July in 24,000 square feet of space.
The SkyCastle Roller Rink will feature a modern sound and light system, 10,000-square-foot skating area, games area with the latest video games, licenced restaurant and bar, 500 pairs of roller skates and it is located at the west entrance by the Best Shop.
Bob Parsons, General Manager of New Horizon Mall, said the roller rink is targeting families.
“It’s going after family entertainment basically,” he said. “Kids to adults roller skating and enjoying food offerings and everything else.
“The way it’s laid out it’s got different routes and all sorts of lighting, music. A DJ will be on site. All that fun stuff. The floor lights up, the ceiling lights up, the walls light up. It’s quite interesting.”
The same company operating the SkyCastle Roller Rink opened the SkyCastle Family Entertainment Centre (FEC) at the mall in July 2021. That occupies 34,000 square feet on the second floor of the mall.
SkyCastle president, Han Liu, launched his first FEC at NHM in 2021, and expanded in 2022 with his second FEC, SkyCastle Macleod in South Calgary. SkyCastle also includes the YYC Princesses, a group of children’s entertainers for special occasions.
“Who doesn’t like a roller rink”? said Liu. “Our Family Entertainment Centres are known for their commitment to a great experience with good value. The Roller Rink will be an extension of these values and we can’t wait for the opening in mid-July.”
The company is based in Calgary. Liu said the location of the mall worked really well for the brand’s FEC concept.
“The mall has been really helpful . . . They really want to see the businesses operating there be successful,” he said.
“It’s no secret that most Calgarians have years if not decades of fond memories of a roller rink. Recently, I think the city has been running without for many years. So we saw this as an opportunity and we took the risk. Now it’s just hoping some people my age remember the old days with their kids and the old fashioned fun we used to have.
“We really feel that Calgary is definitely growing faster than before, than ever. We’re actually confident that this is the type of business that the city needs, that people need.”
Photo credit: supplied by New Horizon Mall.
Parsons said the mall is breaking monthly visitor records and SkyCastle has a proven track record in attracting visitors.
“This roller rink will significantly increase visitor traffic to the mall,” he said.
NHM has three anchor tenants and more than 75 per cent of all retail space is occupied. Total retail space is 320,000 square feet.
Customer traffic counts averaged about 40,000 visitors per month (+9,200 per week) over the past six months. Notable is that customer traffic counts in March 2024 (42,016) exceeded the traditional Christmas period of December 2023 (41,639).
“We continue to be I think the most affordable option in Calgary for startups, for retail stores. I don’t think you can do better than what is offered out here and acknowledging that we’re a business incubator. We’ve got a lot of people with ideas, things they want to do, things they want to sell and concepts they want to try,” added Parsons.
“So year to date, this calendar year, already we’ve approved 73 new stores and we see that still being strong through the rest of the year.”
Entertainment concepts are becoming increasingly more popular in Canadian shopping centres.
“It’s a search for traffic. It’s a search for customers. It’s a search for one-stop for all types of things where you can have fine dining, you can do fun things, fun things for the kids, fun things for the adults,” said Parsons. “Shopping centres in general are looking for whatever opportunities they can that create opportunities for their retailers.
“It creates opportunities for people to spend more time on the property. It’s happening. It’s definitely happening in the States and it’s becoming more and more prominent in Canada. You’re seeing a repurposing of spaces into much different things.”
Parsons said the Roller Rink complements New Horizon Mall as it joins a growing number of ‘fun’ stores like the eBikes stores, the Games stores, the toy car and eScooters stores, vintage albums and stereos’ stores, the collectibles and memorabilia stores and the SkyCastle FEC.
NHM has hosted 18 events to date in 2024. This includes the popular “Disney Fan Meet Up’s”, monthly Sports & Gaming Card Shows, an Indoor Garage Sale and various holiday celebrations.
“The SkyCastle Roller Rink is another large investment in New Horizon Mall and Calgary,” said Kurt Gummer, president of NHM Inc., “Another long-term lease shows the strategy of anchor tenants and regular events is working and the increase in monthly visitor statistics proves it.”
NHM Inc. owns 30 per cent of the retail space at the mall and is leasing its space to the Roller Rink. NHM Inc. now has 98 per cent of its space leased. As Alberta’s first condo mall, stores at New Horizon Mall were sold and owners either operate their own store or lease to another store operator. The Mall is a commercial condominium corporation run by a board of directors, who represent all store owners.
New Horizon Mall is located in Rocky View County where there is no business tax and low Provincial and Corporate Tax. Located outside Calgary city limits in Balzac, off the QEII Highway and just north of Stony Trail, the mall is across from CrossIron Mills, close to Century Downs Casino and Racetrack, and the Amazon Southern Alberta Distribution Centre.
