Saskatoon's Midtown shopping centre experiences strong year of leasing activity (Photos)

The Midtown shopping centre in Saskatoon has had an incredibly successful year in 2024, opening eight new stores, including two first-to-market (first in the province) retailers.

Sales are projected to hit $191 million by the end of December, a $5-million increase from 2023.

From outerwear to beauty products to dining options and more, Midtown has seen substantial growth in retailers throughout 2024.

In the final quarter of the year alone, the shopping centre has welcomed eight new retailers into its roster, including the first-to-market Levi’s store and highly anticipated Mountain Warehouse — the largest location the brand has opened outside of the United Kingdom.

“Saskatchewan shoppers visiting Midtown have some exciting new brands to peruse this holiday season,” said Tara Faris, General Manager, Midtown. “We’re proud to have welcomed so many incredible retailers into Midtown in 2024, and there’s more to come in 2025!”

Recent retailer additions and changes to the shopping centre include:

March, 2024. Twisted Goods (relocation/expansion)
May, 2024. Envy & Grace
June, 2024. Roots (relocation/expansion)
July, 2024. SoftMoc (relocation/expansion)
October, 2024. Danier Leather. Manitobah. Bootlegger (relocation/expansion)
November, 2024. Levi’s. Carters Osh Kosh. Fresh Slice
December, 2024. Rocky Mountain Soap Company. Mountain Warehouse

Opening in early 2025 are JD Sports, a European sportswear company featuring brands such as Nike, Adidas, Vans and UGG, Mobile Q, a cell phone repair and accessories retailer, and Gong Cha, a popular bubble tea chain.

The new retailers join Midtown’s 140 stores, including anchor retailers Hudson’s Bay, H&M, Toys R Us and Sport Chek, as well as Saskatchewan’s only Victoria’s Secret, Pink, Aritzia, Michael Kors and MAC Cosmetics.

“We are thrilled to announce the addition of the first Mountain Warehouse in Saskatchewan to the family of retailers at Midtown,” said Toran Eggert, Urban Reform Realty Inc. “Midtown has really cemented itself as the premier fashion destination in the province. With over 70,000 square feet of vacancy filled since 2023, and a 10 per cent increase in sales productivity, Midtown and the Urban Reform Retail team look forward to continuing this growth alongside the great city of Saskatoon.”

Foot traffic throughout 2024 saw 4.1 million visitors in Midtown, with productivity per square foot reaching $746.00 as of October 31, 2024, a $66.00 increase from 2023. Overall sales have also increased significantly, with total sales projected to reach $191 million by the year’s end, a $5 million increase year over year.

Faris said the shopping centre has a strong leasing strategy.

“We definitely have a first to market focus that creates those opportunities that resonate with our consumers, that keep us sort of relevant and resilient,” she said.

“So we’ve got lots of new and exciting retailers here. I think that our main focus is bringing retailers into the centre that don’t already exist in the market or maybe are under-represented in the market. To keep us relevant in the consumer’s mind. Something that is a unique offering in the city or maybe it’s in other cities that Saskatoon residents would travel to go and see – really focusing on bringing them into our marketplace and meeting the needs of our consumers.”

“Our foot traffic is remaining quite strong. We saw about 4.1 million visitors last year. That’s continuing to trend upwards. We’ve got some growth on rolling 12 (months) year to date. In terms of our sales, we continue to trend upward. There has been some softening but still all positive news. Our per square foot productivity is up seven per cent on rolling 12, about 4.5 per cent year to date. Very good, trending upwards there. We’re always mindful, of pressure on our consumers. Inflation and high interest rates certainly have affected consumer spending to some degree in certain categories. But Midtown’s sales performance continues to remain strong.

“With this new leasing activity, Midtown continues to have the most vibrant and unique tenant mix in the province, which really is a strong indicator of maintaining our resilience and, and relevancy. Continuing to stay fresh and exciting. Continuing to be that community hub to gather, to shop and dine and, continue to stay relevant in the marketplace.”