Square One Shopping Centre's in the thick of a 220k SF expansion that includes a flagship Holt Renfrew, part of a bid to move the venerable Mississauga mall more upmarket. Bisnow dusted off our hardhat for a tour.

Oxford Properties Group's Toni Holley, marketing director for Square One and our guide, says the 120k SF Holts is the anchor of the centre's $320M southwest expansion. “It was the impetus for the luxury wing development." This, coupled with an additional 75k SF of higher-end shops (Kate Spade, Raffi Jewellers, Stuart Weitzman), plus an expanded Harry Rosen, will help elevate the mall’s retail mix and attract "that aspirational luxury shopper." Opening around the same time as the southwest expansion will be the first Simons store in Ontario, a 113k SF two-floor location in the space vacated by Sears.

This is the latest phase of an extensive redevelopment of Square One that began several years back with the revamp of common areas, entrances, restrooms and elevators, and the arrival of new retailers like Ann Taylor, White House Black Market and Topman/Topshop within Hudson's Bay, as well as a renovated food court. Last year saw the opening of the $62M northwest expansion, with retailers including Ontario’s largest Forever 21 and Mississauga’s first Brandy Melville. It also brought new green space and a park, designed to enhance the area’s walkability and livability, says Toni.

The redevelopment represents an extensive effort by Square One owner Oxford to capture more of the rapidly growing and increasingly wealthier west end market, while also continuing to lure shoppers from across the GTA. (We snapped the new Simons store, its second location outside of its home base of Quebec City.) "We’re a destination for a lot of reasons, but that luxury piece has been missing. So this will create that holistic market for us," Toni says.

The luxury wing will boast a 60-foot grand rotunda, a new entrance for the shopping centre (above), plus two levels of parking and additional valet service. And the southwest redevelopment will bring two parks, green space and more common areas for the shopping centre. “It’s important we’re not just building bricks and mortar here,” says Toni, pointing to Square One's prime location, adjacent to City Centre Transit Terminal and an expanding Sheridan College. “It’s also about the community and creating an emotional connection to the shopping centre.”