Changes are afoot at Willowbrook Shopping Centre.
The large space at the southwest corner of the mall, formerly used by Target, has sat empty since the U.S. retail giant departed in January 2015.
Toys “R” Us/Babies “R” Us and Sport Chek, already in the mall, will relocate to the roughly 100,000 square-foot space, which is currently under a major rebuild to accommodate the move.
“The space will be substantially complete for around February,” said Tony Segaric, vice president operations, west with mall owner Bentall Kennedy. “We will also be putting in a brand new entrance at that portion of the shopping centre.”
When complete, Segaric said, “both new spaces will add up to about 85,000 sq. feet.”
The space vacated by Toys R Us and SportCheck will be occupied be “part of a new lifestyle expansion,” Segaric added.
Plans for this future expansion include a 140,000 square-foot pedestrian-friendly outdoor lifestyle mall with new shops, services, and restaurants.
Willowbrook Shopping Centre was built in 1979 and its most recent renovation was in 2007
It’s home to 150 stores and 6.9 million shoppers visit the mall annually.
