Westmount Mall

Westmount Mall
Location 785 Wonderland Road South
London, Ontario
N6K 1M6
Opening date 1973
Developer Sifton Properties
Management Bentall Retail Services
No. of stores and services 65
No. of anchor tenants 4
No. of floors 2
Website Westmount Shopping Centre

Westmount Shopping Centre or also referred to as Westmount Mall is a shopping centre located in London, Ontario. It is located at 785 Wonderland Road South at the northwest corner of Wonderland Road and Viscount Road.

History

Westmount Mall's first phase opened originally in 1971 with 15 stores.

In 1973, the mall expanded and became fully enclosed with about 50 additional retailers, with Horizon as the main anchor.

In 1978, Horizon was closed and converted into an Eaton's department store.

Expansion

The mall was completely rebuilt as a two storey mall, with underground parking and over 160 retailers. Construction began in 1987 and was finished in 1989.

By 1999, Eaton's was closed due to bankruptcy and subsequently converted into a Sears department store.

Downturn

By the early 2000s, however, Westmount's fortunes experienced a slump. The vacancy rate in the mall took a sharp increase as 40 stores slowly left the mall.[1]

Future

In March 2010, the London Health Science Centre announced that, pending final approval from the Ministry of Health, it would open a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) kidney dialysis centre in the mall in the summer of 2011. This new centre will replace two of the four existing dialysis centres in London. The London Health Science Centre selected the mall over two other competing locations in the city's core. The London Health Science Centre cited the mall's free parking, proximity to the 401 and 402, and shopping and entertainment facilities, as key factors in its decision.[2]

In March 2010, Bentall LP, the mall's owner, applied to the city for approval to demolish 80,000 square feet (7,400 m2) of floorspace to make room for parking.

Due to the demolition plans and rent increases, tenants either relocated within the mall or left the mall entirely. The mall plans to begin demolition in the summer and complete its changes by the end of 2010. The mall's second floor is to be used for office space and medical clinics.[3] The mall will be without a food court for 18 months.[4]

In October 2012, it was announced that the Metro store would be closing as of December 8, 2012 due to declining profitability. Over 60 employees will lose their jobs. The grocery store was one of Westmount's original tenants dating back to the opening of the mall in the early 1970s.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Nicole Borland (2015-03-28). "So what exactly happened to Westmount Mall?". LondonFuse. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  2. ↑ Norman De Bolo (2010-03-12). "Kidney dialysis centre set for Westmount mall". The London Free Press. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  3. ↑ Norman De Bolo (2010-03-12). "Tenants displaced by mall demolition". The London Free Press. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  4. ↑ Norman De Bolo (2010-03-15). "Tenants angered by rent hike, demolition, at Westmount mall". The London Free Press. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  5. ↑ Chip Martin (2012-10-12). "Metro grocery store closing at London's Westmount Shopping Centre cuts 61 jobs". The London Free Press. Retrieved 2012-10-12.

Coordinates: 43°56′53″N 81°17′31″W / 43.948°N 81.292°W / 43.948; -81.292

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