Walmart Canada is preparing to make one of its most significant investments in Hamilton with plans to open a 140,000 square foot Supercentre at Lime Ridge Mall by early 2027. The Walmart Lime Ridge Mall Supercentre will occupy the site once anchored by Sears Canada, which closed its doors in 2017 during the chain’s final national liquidation. For Hamilton, a fast-growing city whose retail landscape has been in transition, the addition of Walmart marks a substantial shift and signals renewed confidence in the region’s largest mall.
The new store will include a full grocery department, expanded home, apparel and electronics sections, a pharmacy and complete online order pickup and delivery integration, with fulfillment offered in as fast as two hours. Walmart said the store is designed to serve both traditional in-person shoppers and the rising number of consumers relying on e-commerce for household staples and general merchandise.
“This addition reflects our commitment to providing our community with a diverse mix of retailers and an exceptional shopping experience,” said Andy Traynor, general manager of Lime Ridge Mall. His comments underscore the significance of the announcement for a property that has spent much of the past decade realigning its tenant mix after the departure of two major department store anchors.
An Anchor Announcement Aligned With Walmart’s National Strategy
The Walmart Lime Ridge Mall Supercentre is one component of a sweeping $6.5 billion Canadian expansion plan that the retailer announced earlier this year. Described by the company as its most ambitious investment in Canada since entering the market in 1994, the program includes dozens of new stores, major upgrades to more than 180 existing locations and deep structural investment in supply chain and distribution networks across the country.
“As the City of Hamilton continues to grow, this new Supercentre will help us to better serve our local customers through a convenient store location and expanded ability to serve the area through our delivery service,” said Shawn Fujiki, Senior Director of Real Estate at Walmart Canada. His comments reflect a national strategy that responds to demographic growth, intensifying competition with Costco and Amazon, and heightened demand for fast, reliable online fulfillment.
In recent months, Walmart Canada has opened Supercentres in Port Credit and Oakville and launched a highly automated distribution centre in Vaughan. Additional stores are planned for Fort McMurray, Sherbrooke, the Tsuut’ina Nation development outside Calgary and several markets across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. With more than 400 stores nationwide, including six existing locations in Hamilton, Walmart views the new Supercentre as a critical east-mountain node in its omnichannel network.
A Changing Anchor Landscape at Lime Ridge Mall
The redevelopment of the former Sears site has become particularly significant as Lime Ridge Mall continues to navigate the loss of two major department store anchors. Sears Canada, a core tenant since the 1980s, closed at the mall in 2017, leaving a large footprint at the north end of the property. On the opposite side, Hudson’s Bay also exited its Lime Ridge location after years of declining performance for the banner in secondary markets, creating another major vacancy of roughly 125,000 square feet.
The future of the former Bay space briefly drew national attention earlier this year when investor Ruby Liu sought court approval to acquire 25 Hudson’s Bay leases across Canada, including Lime Ridge Mall, as part of a plan to launch a new namesake department store chain. The proposal would have repurposed the Lime Ridge Bay box under Liu’s new banner. The court ultimately rejected the bid, leaving the large space unclaimed and highlighting the broader uncertainty surrounding legacy department store footprints in Canadian enclosed malls.
With both former anchors gone, Lime Ridge Mall has faced structural challenges familiar to many regional shopping centres. Traditional department stores that once shaped their retail ecosystems have largely disappeared. In this environment, Walmart’s arrival on the former Sears footprint provides immediate stability on one side of the mall and becomes a cornerstone for the property’s next phase under new ownership.
Ownership Shift and Repositioning Under Primaris
Lime Ridge Mall has undergone a notable transition over the past year. In June 2025, Cadillac Fairview sold the property to Primaris REIT in a $416 million cash-and-equity deal. Primaris promptly retired the “CF” branding and positioned Lime Ridge as a core enclosed-mall asset with strong long-term potential, particularly given Hamilton’s population growth and the expanding role of the mountain corridor as a regional commercial hub.
The mall, which opened in 1981, spans roughly 793,000 square feet across two levels and houses more than 170 retailers. Its location adjacent to the Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway and several major Hamilton Street Railway routes creates broad reach across the city’s mountain and lower-city neighbourhoods. The retail mix includes major national banners such as Aritzia, Sephora, Browns, Lululemon, JD Sports, Urban Planet, Sport Chek and Shoppers Drug Mart, positioning Lime Ridge as Hamilton’s leading fashion and lifestyle destination.
Primaris has described the former Hudson’s Bay space as one of the most significant redevelopment opportunities in its national portfolio. With Walmart committed to the north end of the property, the mall’s next major step will come in determining the long-term reuse of the Bay box, a decision that could introduce a new anchor, a mixed-use concept or a subdivided configuration depending on market conditions.
Walmart’s Omnichannel Strategy Shapes the Lime Ridge Plan
The Walmart Lime Ridge Mall Supercentre reflects the retailer’s broader approach to building stores that serve both as traditional shopping destinations and as key components of its e-commerce network. Full grocery service, household goods, apparel and electronics will coexist with dedicated areas for online order fulfillment and local delivery. Walmart Canada has leaned heavily on its stores as last-mile distribution nodes, using their geographic reach to compete directly with Amazon on speed and convenience.
The Lime Ridge location will play a central role in that strategy on Hamilton Mountain, where rapid residential development is attracting young families and commuters seeking proximity to major highways. The retailer expects high demand for grocery pickup and home delivery, categories that have grown consistently across its Canadian network.
Walmart’s investment also arrives at a time when grocers and big-box retailers are intensifying their presence in large enclosed malls, filling the void left by declining department store banners and reshaping traditional retail footprints. For Lime Ridge Mall, the addition of a full grocery operation introduces a category the centre has not offered in many years, broadening its draw and reinforcing its status as Hamilton’s primary retail hub.
YES, love to see my local mall get some love and attention, this end of the mall was struggling and this new Walmart store will inject a lot of life into this end and the mall as a whole. Some other things this mall needs are….
Uniqlo
Simons
Best Buy or Visions Electronics
The Rec Room or Dave & Busters
VIP Theatre (there are none in Hamilton, could be connected to The Rec Room)
Apple Store
Chic-Fil-A
Jersey Mikes
A Food/Boutique Market Hall
Miniso Land
More Full Serve Restaurants (hello Cheesecake Factory)
More Entertainment Options
More mid and upscale clothing stores.
Pop Mart
Condos/Apartments attached to the property – live, work, shop and play model!
The problem is that while this leases an empty anchor space of Lime Ridge, it also commences a downgrade of the mall. Replacing an anchor which was once a full-service department store, with a discount tenant like Walmart, brings with it a downgrade in both the target customer and the tone of the centre. Discount anchors like Walmart tend to attract other discount tenants like Dollarama and No Frills to the same malls or plazas, not quality fashion tenants like H&M. This in turn attracts a lower-spending, more budget oriented customer to the mall, which encourages other mid-grade tenants to exit.
The other problem is the fact that major shopping centres in general attract consumers through the presence of stores which are not available at multiple plazas closer to their homes. Why would anyone drive to Lime Ridge to access Walmart when there are several other Walmarts in the area? They would, however, likely drive for a unique store like Simons if there were no other location in the metro region.