Mall Retail: Cambridge Centre, Conestoga and Fairview Park

[DHLawrence]

It doesn't surprise me; I think they're trying to move away from converted Woolcos and into purpose-built. I was sure they were moving across the road to the old Record printing press, though.

I wonder what the odds are of them tearing it down and rebuilding it as another department store. Maybe Sears will consider a move. I love the old Simpsons-Sears store at Fairview, but it isn't aging well. There's a weird smell to that place. Holt Renfrew or Ogilvy would be nice!

[Urbanomicon]

It doesn't surprise me; I think they're trying to move away from converted Woolcos and into purpose-built. I was sure they were moving across the road to the old Record printing press, though.

I heard on the radio a number of years ago that an expansion to Fairview mall was going to be built at the site of the former Record building, however I haven't heard any other developments on this since the initial newscast some years ago.

[UrbanWaterloo]

Regarding the former Record property, a family friend used to own a business at Fairview and she mentioned the same thing about retail expansion across the street. This was way back in 2002/2003 though, so I'm not sure whether or not plans were eventually mothballed.

[Advance]

Fairview:
Hollister Co. - Opening November 2010 (near the food court)
Bath and Body Works - Opening end of August 2010 (near Guest Services)

The Walmart is going to be closing soon (One of the managers confirmed with me) I'm not sure what will take its place but I wouldn't be suprised if they (CF) demolished the current structure and worked from a clean slate. I have also heard rumors about a new Walmart opening in East Kitchener, not sure but it's just a possibility

[Duke-of-Waterloo]

I have also heard rumors about a new Walmart opening in East Kitchener, not sure but it's just a possibility

This is potentially true, however, it won't be in Kitchener. SmartCentres owns land in Woolwich Township just east of Ebycrest Road. It's almost adjacent to where the new Highway 7 alignment will be. Most SmartCentres are usually anchored by a Wal-Mart unfortunately. I know Fairview has been trying to get rid of Wal-Mart forever. Some tenants will refuse to open in a mall with a Wal-Mart, Hollister likely being one.

Here's where the SmartCentres property is: http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ie=...01929&t=h&z=16

[mpd618]

SmartCentres owns land in Woolwich Township just east of Ebycrest Road. It's almost adjacent to where the new Highway 7 alignment will be. Most SmartCentres are usually anchored by a Wal-Mart unfortunately. ... Here's where the SmartCentres property is: http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ie=...01929&t=h&z=16

Oh man - big boxes on greenfields! Sigh.

[jay]

Hopefully once Walmart leaves they do demo the building and start clean.

Also Jack And Jones is opening sometime this summer in the Cambridge Centre.

[KevinL]

I once heard Walmart would be moving across Fairway to the old Record property, any truth to that still?

[DHLawrence]

Not that we know of; it seems to have died out (which means that the Canadian Tire gets to be run down even more and its strip mall gets to keep losing tenants).

[UrbanWaterloo]

The Zehrs at Conestoga Mall is being completely renovated.

August 10, 2010

[Razzie]

I've heard lots of rumours about Walmart and Best Buy switching places at Fairview, but with Best Buy getting a renovation now, I have my doubts that will happen.

[Urbanomicon]

I've heard lots of rumours about Walmart and Best Buy switching places at Fairview, but with Best Buy getting a renovation now, I have my doubts that will happen.

Best Buy on Fairway is getting a renovation? Any idea what they are doing?

[Duke-of-Waterloo]

Wow, Zehrs Conestoga is looking more and more like a Wal-Mart or like their sister Wholesale Club store at King & Weber. It looks like a warehouse inside now. Hopefully some day they will leave the mall and relocate somewhere else so this space can be re-merchandised into something better. Their Beechwood store is getting a similar renovation right now too.

[Razzie]

Wow, Zehrs Conestoga is looking more and more like a Wal-Mart or like their sister Wholesale Club store at King & Weber. It looks like a warehouse inside now. Hopefully some day they will leave the mall and relocate somewhere else so this space can be re-merchandised into something better. Their Beechwood store is getting a similar renovation right now too.

Why and where should they move? Zehrs is a huge draw to the mall and a great asset to the surrounding neighbourhood in my opinion.

Speaking of Conestoga Mall, it looks like they're getting ready for another new tenant using space from the old Coles, The Source (moving), and That Game Store as they will all be empty soon.

[KevinL]

Wow, Zehrs Conestoga is looking more and more like a Wal-Mart or like their sister Wholesale Club store at King & Weber. It looks like a warehouse inside now. Hopefully some day they will leave the mall and relocate somewhere else so this space can be re-merchandised into something better. Their Beechwood store is getting a similar renovation right now too.

Just visit Zehrs Laurentian to see the finished product; it is a more austere feel from the previous design. It's efficient, but it can leave you a bit cold.

[KLM]

Just visit Zehrs Laurentian to see the finished product; it is a more austere feel from the previous design. It's efficient, but it can leave you a bit cold.

kinda agree ,but in my opinion best Zehrs in town is in Stanley Park.
Plus there is underground garage

[Duke-of-Waterloo]

Why and where should they move? Zehrs is a huge draw to the mall and a great asset to the surrounding neighbourhood in my opinion.

Having large grocery stores/supermarkets in regional malls is an obsolete practice. I would like to definitely see Zehrs still stay in this immediate area of the City, just to vacate the mall. I think a better option for them would be to close the Wholesale Club and National Sports and convert this into (or back into should we say from waaay back) a Zehrs. It's well served by transit and would clean up this property. It's also a very busy intersection. Plus - Loblaws owns Wholesale Club anyways, so it wouldn't be too hard to do this. This location is also well served by transit and has a variety of uses around it (retail, professional office, institutional, industrial not to mention residential with student housing not too far off), so I think it would still do well and serve the same portion of the City. Zehrs opened their current location in the mid 1990s when Conestoga was a much smaller mall and Zehrs really helped bring people to the mall itself, but this is no longer the case. I'm sure the mall owners wouldn't mind having this space back to transform it into something more prominent than a grocery store.

A new grocery store is planned for University Ave and New Hampshire Street (by RIM Park), so the extreme northeast section of Waterloo wouldn't be cut off entirely if Zehrs relocates.

[Razzie]

Zehrs actually didn't want to be part of the mall once they outgrew their old location where Winners is now - they wanted to be where Future Shop is now, but the city said no to the zoning changes. If I remember right, they also built the store as quickly as they could once the agreements were in place (Loblaws owns the land that the Zehrs location sits on) to fend off competition from the Maxi & Cie, which they eventually bought and shut down.

Any idea on which store will be opening up out there near RIM Park?

[Razzie]

Hollister is coming to Fairview Park Mall where Jacob was located.

[garthdanlor]

Zehrs actually didn't want to be part of the mall once they outgrew their old location where Winners is now - they wanted to be where Future Shop is now, but the city said no to the zoning changes.

I seem to recall Loblaws also wanting to close the Conestoga Zehrs and open up a larger RCSS (I think) next to the Waterloo Inn. That also ran into zoning challenges, didn't it?