More than three years after Nordstrom closed its Canadian stores, replacement tenants have now been identified at all six of the retailer’s former full-line locations, with new additions at CF Chinook Centre in Calgary filling in one of the remaining pieces of the national picture.
Cadillac Fairview has announced that SportChek, Winners and Old Navy are joining the CF Chinook Centre lineup as the former two-level Nordstrom is divided among multiple retailers. SportChek will occupy the upper level with an expanded Destination Sport concept opening in spring 2027, while Old Navy and Winners will occupy the main floor.
Old Navy is scheduled to return to the shopping centre this November, with Winners following in spring 2027.
The Calgary announcement means major replacement tenants are now known for every former full-line Nordstrom location in Canada. Redevelopment work is not finished, and portions of some former stores have yet to have permanent tenants publicly identified. But the six properties now provide a clear picture of how some of Canada’s largest shopping centres have responded to more than one million square feet of space vacated almost simultaneously in 2023.
The dominant strategy has been to divide the former department stores among multiple destinations.
More Than One Million Square Feet Left Behind
Nordstrom entered Canada at CF Chinook Centre in September 2014, opening in space previously occupied by Sears. It subsequently added full-line stores at CF Rideau Centre in Ottawa, CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver, CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Yorkdale Shopping Centre and CF Sherway Gardens.
The six stores collectively occupied approximately 1.08 million square feet, with individual locations ranging from about 140,000 square feet to 230,000 square feet.
Nordstrom announced in March 2023 that it would wind down its Canadian operations after determining there was no realistic path to profitability. Its six full-line stores and seven Nordstrom Rack locations subsequently closed.
For the landlords involved, the exit created six unusually large vacancies in prominent regional and downtown shopping centres. Relatively few retailers were expanding at a scale capable of absorbing an entire former Nordstrom, and the replacement strategies that have emerged generally bear little resemblance to the department-store model Nordstrom brought to Canada.
Calgary Nordstrom Divided Among Three Retailers
At CF Chinook Centre, the approximately 140,000-square-foot former Nordstrom is being divided among SportChek, Old Navy and Winners.
SportChek will occupy the upper floor, consolidating and expanding its presence at the property with a Destination Sport concept expected to open in spring 2027.
Old Navy and Winners will divide the main floor. Old Navy is scheduled to open in November, while Winners will follow in spring 2027.
The configuration captures the broader shift taking place across the former Nordstrom portfolio. The Calgary store was itself created from former Sears space when Nordstrom entered Canada. It is now being divided again, this time among three large retailers serving sporting goods, apparel and off-price shoppers.
Toronto Eaton Centre Offers the Most Complete Example
CF Toronto Eaton Centre provides the clearest completed example of the multi-tenant strategy. Nordstrom occupied approximately 220,000 square feet at the downtown Toronto shopping centre. Cadillac Fairview subsequently divided the premises among Simons, Eataly and Nike, alongside new circulation and other building uses.
Simons opened a roughly 110,000-square-foot flagship spanning three levels. Eataly added approximately 25,000 square feet, while Nike expanded its presence with a roughly 18,000-square-foot store.
The redevelopment turned a single department-store anchor into several substantial destinations while allowing CF to allocate prominent mall and street frontage to multiple tenants.
Pacific Centre Becomes a Collection of Flagships
A more extensive physical transformation is underway at CF Pacific Centre in downtown Vancouver, where Nordstrom occupied approximately 230,000 square feet.
Simons will open a roughly 92,000-square-foot store across three floors in fall 2027. Vancouver-based Aritzia is developing a roughly 40,000-square-foot, multi-level flagship in another portion of the premises.
Together, the two retailers account for approximately 132,000 square feet of former Nordstrom space, with additional retail units forming part of the redevelopment. The former department store is being substantially reconfigured to accommodate multiple retailers with their own identities and entrances.
The project turns one large downtown department store into a collection of flagships while giving specialty retailers access to space at a scale historically associated with major anchors.
Simons Takes the Largest Share
No retailer has absorbed more of Nordstrom’s former Canadian space than La Maison Simons.
In addition to its approximately 92,000-square-foot future CF Pacific Centre store, Simons opened approximately 110,000 square feet at CF Toronto Eaton Centre and about 118,000 square feet across the first two levels of the former Nordstrom at Yorkdale Shopping Centre.
Combined, the three locations represent approximately 320,000 square feet of former Nordstrom real estate, or close to 30 per cent of the space occupied by Nordstrom’s six full-line Canadian stores.
Yorkdale is the closest of the six properties to a conventional department-store replacement. Nordstrom occupied approximately 199,000 square feet across three levels, while Simons operates approximately 118,000 square feet on the first two.
Even there, the replacement occupies substantially less space than Nordstrom did, with the balance of the former department-store premises outside Simons.
Ottawa Adds Three Major Home Retailers
The picture at CF Rideau Centre became clearer with confirmation that Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn and West Elm will open in the former Nordstrom premises in spring 2027.
Nordstrom occupied approximately 157,000 square feet across two levels at the downtown Ottawa shopping centre. The three Williams-Sonoma Inc. banners will occupy part of Level 3, where the former Nordstrom floor plate measured approximately 79,000 square feet.
Their arrival creates a substantial home furnishings and housewares cluster within space previously occupied by a general merchandise department store. Other portions of the former Nordstrom have yet to have permanent replacement tenants publicly identified.
The redevelopment remains in progress, but the strategy again involves dividing a large department-store footprint among more specialized operators.
Entertainment Takes Part of Nordstrom at Sherway Gardens
CF Sherway Gardens remains the least complete of the six transformations, although a major permanent replacement tenant has now been identified there as well.
Splitsville Bowl plans to open a roughly 34,000-square-foot entertainment venue in part of the former Nordstrom in fall 2027. The facility will include 22 bowling lanes, an arcade, food and beverage offerings and event space.
Nordstrom occupied approximately 140,000 square feet at Sherway, meaning Splitsville accounts for about one-quarter of the former store. Permanent replacement tenants for much of the remaining space have not been publicly announced.
Sherway provides an important qualification to the national picture. Replacement tenants are now known at every former Nordstrom property, but that does not mean every square foot has been leased, announced or redeveloped. The introduction of an entertainment operator also broadens the range of uses being considered for former department-store space.
One Anchor Becomes Several
Across the six properties, the pattern is increasingly consistent.
At CF Chinook Centre, one department store is becoming SportChek, Winners and Old Navy. At CF Toronto Eaton Centre, the former Nordstrom was divided among Simons, Eataly and Nike. At CF Pacific Centre, Simons and Aritzia are among multiple major retailers being accommodated within the former box.
Ottawa is adding a cluster of Williams-Sonoma Inc. home banners, while Sherway is introducing entertainment. Yorkdale comes closest to a traditional department-store replacement, but even there Simons occupies considerably less space than Nordstrom did.
The anchor function remains relevant, but it increasingly can be distributed among several tenants serving different shopping, dining and entertainment needs. For landlords, that creates opportunities to accommodate expanding specialty retailers and other uses without depending on a single tenant willing to occupy 150,000 to 200,000 square feet.
A Relevant Precedent for Former Hudson’s Bay Stores
The Nordstrom experience has become increasingly relevant as Canadian landlords confront a much larger inventory of former department-store space following the collapse of Hudson’s Bay.
The portfolios are substantially different. Nordstrom operated only six full-line Canadian stores, all in prominent shopping centres in major markets. Hudson’s Bay operated a much larger network across properties with widely varying demographics, ownership structures and redevelopment potential.
Still, the former Nordstrom stores demonstrate several approaches available for large department-store vacancies, including subdivision, new entrances, oversized specialty flagships, sporting goods, off-price retail, food, home furnishings and entertainment.
More than three years after Nordstrom left Canada, major replacement tenants are now known at every one of its former full-line stores. Additional space remains to be publicly accounted for at several properties, particularly CF Sherway Gardens, and redevelopment work will continue well into 2027.
With the latest Calgary announcements, the national picture is finally visible. Nordstrom’s former Canadian stores are being divided among a collection of retailers and other uses, replacing the single department-store anchor with multiple destinations.
