At the east end of Toronto's Yorkdale Mall, the recent announcement of Drake's upcoming OVO store means that another marquee presence will be coming to the marquee shopping destination. Following the opening of a 330,000 ft² expansion last October, Oxford Properties' juggernaut is continuing its seemingly insatiable growth, as October's Very Own Summer opening is quickly set to be followed by another wave of new retailers in the Summer and Fall, scattered across the mall, but with a concentration in the under-construction west wing. 

Restoration Hardware will anchor the latest expansion, image by Craig White

Anchored by Restoration Hardware and Sporting Life, the latest expansion introduces another set of local and international brands to the growing mall. Taking over much of the former Sears space, the upmarket American furniture and homewares store will be joined by a new location for Toronto-based Sporting Life—an equally high-end apparel store with intimations of active, outdoor living.

Sporting Life under wraps, image by Craig White

Opening in the Fall, Sporting Life will be located just southeast of the Restoration Hardware, taking over another part of the former Sears. 

Looking towards the future Sporting Life, image by Craig White

From the exterior, the 69,000 ft² Restoration Hardware is the mall's most conspicuous under-construction element. Replacing the largely windowless brown-brick Sears building with a more animated—and slightly taller—three-storey frontage. Characterized by its large punched windows, the new façade is a departure from the former Sears, with the store's natural light contributing to what will hopefully be a much improved quality of space.  

A closer look at the Restoration Hardware frontage, image by Craig White

Alongside the two new anchor tenants, much of the revamped west wing—where new corridors have now opened—will be given over to as of yet unannounced retailers. During the mall's extensive renovations, a number of existing retailers are also changing locations as new stores move in, with brands such as Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma recently relocating. 

Newly opened corridors in the west wing, with the RH storefront at right, image by Craig White

One new tenant that has been announced is the Cheesecake Factory. The American restaurant and cheesecake dispensary will also open in the Fall, taking over the former Milestone's location facing out onto the parking lot at the northwest end of the mall. The 10,400 ft² restaurant will be the chain's first Canadian location. 

The Cheesecake Factory (in red) is set to open this Fall, image via Yorkdale Mall

Apparently a favourite dining destination of none other than Aubrey Graham himself, the Cheesecake Factory should complement the roughly 1,600 ft² OVO space located between Strellson and Oak + Fort in the new east wing, which is anchored by the 188,000 ft² Nordstrom. 

The future OVO, image via Yorkdale Mall (overlay by Craig White)

Finally, larger changes are in the works for the future, with an Official Plan Amendment and Site Plan Application submitted for the Yorkdale Mall site to the City of Toronto on May 30th. While details of the submission have yet to be made public, the City's website notes that the "application will update the Zoning for the site and include proposed amendments to the adopted Dufferin Street Secondary Plan," which is currently under appeal to the OMB.

New hallway in the west wing, image by Craig White

We will keep you updated as more information becomes available, and Yorkdale Mall continues to evolve. In the meantime, you can learn more by visiting our Database file, linked below. Want to share your thoughts? Leave a comment on this page, or join the ongoing conversations in our associated Forum thread.