Square One Shopping Centre

[Dan416]

Holt's is a bit out of place at Square One. But I wouldn't say all the luxury brands are misplaced at Square One. I think certain ones make some sense. Like I wouldn't necessarily call Zara "high end" but it is a higher price point and it seems to be doing well. I think an Abercrombie or Hollister wouldn't be out of place at Square One. But anything super high end wouldn't really do well.

Square One is a regional mall, and it's a big mall. It can support both low end and some high end. I don't see any problem with them catering to both high and low end customers. They're more like Eaton Centre than Yorkdale or Sherway.

 

[sixrings]

it really does feel like that. i've heard lots of stories about them screwing people out of their leases or forcing renovations, so i feel like that's what's going on right now- if you can't move your store, you're pretty much going to get shut down for a bigger, busier retail store. for the past year, every time i'd go, there was a store i saw closing every week. i even saw the Journeys and Conspiracy Comics get shut down in real time where the manager is boxing up products with the gates down, taking down decals etc... the mall's losing usefulness for me

sleep country is in the high-markup business of mattresses, having a sleep country in your mall is pretty much a guarantee on rent for that reason. it's a money printing business. sunrise/HMV got booted out of square one for a sleep country, go figure

as for holt's at square one, i've never seen that place busy. i think more people go to walmart than holts, which seems obvious, but i feel like that highlights an oversight in how Oxford is trying to run that place. i dont think people are bustling for luxury items these days

Of course more people go to Walmart. But a scarf at Holts is the same cost as a weeks groceries at Walmart. That’s how they turn a profit and it’s why luxury malls are striving and owners are trying their best to cater to that crowd.

As for oxfords leasing practices. The Yorkdale formula is once your lease expires you have to move. Which means that stores are always renovated. Which keeps the mall upscale. If you can’t afford to renovate then Oxford doesn’t want you in there anyways. I think it’s pretty tough but the user experience is what matters and it seems to work.

 

[Dan416]

I’m surprised to see Abercrombie come to Square One. Would have expected Hollister but I’m fine with A&F.

 

[drum118]

I have moved this to this thread as it should be here

The idea of removing Walmart or a road between it and the mall as well a road from Webb Dr of the west side of the exchange to Rathburn goes back to the Downtown 21 plan. Walmart is not going anywhere due to the return per foot that Oxford gets as well a major foot attraction to the mall.

As I stated here as well at council even when representees from OMERS were there, the mall has to shrink to 1/5 of its current foot print by not only going up. but with development on top of it. As far as I am concern everything between Burnhamthorpe-Rathburn, City Centre Dr and Duke of York be pedestrians streets with roads, parking and delivery underground. The pedestrians streets will allow emergency vehicle to use those streets.

I have no idea why Bloor been done this way other than after the fact as to what my views were about transit dealing with single lane of traffic by the ward councilor. You will find streets like this in Europe. There been strong opposition to it by the amount of signs on the residents front yard last year. Basely, Bloor is a speedway most of the time and one way to slow the speeders down. 70-100km is the norm on that road and been passed more times than enough when I get to 60km by not watching my speed. Even some transit buses have been doing 70km according to the speed checker on my phone.

Time to move things back to the thread.

May 19-20
More up on site

Click to expand...

If the bay is going bankrupt could Walmart not locate there. You get three floors and a parking garage. Then you could extend kariya gate and shrink the mall.

On the opposite side of the mall if you ripped down where the old movie theatre was you could extend Mercer street and if you took down the office building to the south you could make it get to burnamthorpe. Again increasing the grid which is efficient for pedestrians.

As for the round a bouts on Duke of York. Could they not reappear if they chose confederation for the LRT?

The big mistake for the mall was when it was sold with a plan expansion underway in the 90's that ended up sitting idle for over a year. Haft of the expansion was torn down along with various ideas to attach visitors to it. That was when the Dominion (Metro) Grocery store and LBCO were removed from the mall.

When they built the last section some years ago, footing and walls from the original expansion where found and removed.

If you look at the Downtown21 plan, it shows where the traffic lights are in front of 201 City Centre, that road was to go to Burnhamthorpe as well a road to the west of the Exchange Towers with on street parking. The 201 building will have to come down as it in the way for the road to line up with Webb Dr and the city has a 15 year lease for office space there now that has was renew last year.

To run Kariya Gate to Square One Drive let alone to City View, Walmart is not the problem, but the mall itself as a straight road. You will have to bend it between the mall and Walmart that cuts off access to the loading docks for the mall..

I have no idea what the square footage is for Hudson Bay vs Walmart and will it meet Walmart needs?? It will cost Oxford million's of dollars to bring HB up to Walmart current remodeled store level to allow Walmart to move location if HB goes. Then, HB could become an Zeller store if it get off the ground for part of it with the rest being converted to x if it can.

A huge amount of empty store existed there today that even saw the Bulk Barn pullout last year considering it was one of the first location when the chain open its doors.

Everything west where the 90's expansion took place is a waste of space and still is today and that includes the closed movie theater area that is still empty today.

 

[sixrings]

I have moved this to this thread as it should be here



The big mistake for the mall was when it was sold with a plan expansion underway in the 90's that ended up sitting idle for over a year. Haft of the expansion was torn down along with various ideas to attach visitors to it. That was when the Dominion (Metro) Grocery store and LBCO were removed from the mall.

When they built the last section some years ago, footing and walls from the original expansion where found and removed.

If you look at the Downtown21 plan, it shows where the traffic lights are in front of 201 City Centre, that road was to go to Burnhamthorpe as well a road to the west of the Exchange Towers with on street parking. The 201 building will have to come down as it in the way for the road to line up with Webb Dr and the city has a 15 year lease for office space there now that has was renew last year.

To run Kariya Gate to Square One Drive let alone to City View, Walmart is not the problem, but the mall itself as a straight road. You will have to bend it between the mall and Walmart that cuts off access to the loading docks for the mall..

I have no idea what the square footage is for Hudson Bay vs Walmart and will it meet Walmart needs?? It will cost Oxford million's of dollars to bring HB up to Walmart current remodeled store level to allow Walmart to move location if HB goes. Then, HB could become an Zeller store if it get off the ground for part of it with the rest being converted to x if it can.

A huge amount of empty store existed there today that even saw the Bulk Barn pullout last year considering it was one of the first location when the chain open its doors.

Everything west where the 90's expansion took place is a waste of space and still is today and that includes the closed movie theater area that is still empty today.

if the Walmart went down Kariya Gate would simply bend around the corner of the mall and connect with Hammerson Drive... I understand moving a Walmart would cost millions of dollars but were talking about freeing up major pieces of land for huge amounts of development. Surely at some point things start to make sense. On that topic the Hudson Bay parking structure and the one outside of the Walmart is a huge waste of land and im guessing there will be a time that they finally get removed.

I looked at Downtown Master plan and I do not see anything about 201 city centre coming down to make a straight road.

Other than the change from 6-10 floor heights to the current 50-70 floor heights being proposed and the removal of roundabouts I dont see much different in this plan then the current one. The transit is still in the wrong place. The mall should still be reduced. Am I missing something or do you not like either plan.

 

[sauga1962]

wonder if alo yoga will take the old apple space

You nailed it. Alo is taking the former Apple location.

 

[Dan416]

I noticed that the Abercrombie store at Square One is open now. Not sure when it opened though. It feels a lot smaller than any A&F I've ever been to.