1989. That's when Erin Mills Town Centre opened. And it hasn't had a renovation since. (Whereas most people born in 1989 have changed from grunge, to punk, to... Macklemore?) EMTC VP Nance MacDonald tells us the mall’s $100M makeover will lure back customers and attract new retailers.
Here's Nance, with 20VIC Management, inspecting work on the 850k SF EMTC. Rival malls Sherway Gardens and Square One are renovating and expanding to cater to the wealthy and rapidly growing Mississauga marketplace. Nance says her team conducted extensive market research and found that while people didn’t want EMTC to expand, they wanted it to improve. “They said get some new retailers in here, spruce the place up, and they’d come back.” The mall is owned by Ontario Pension Board.
The spruce up starts with EMTC's centre court, which will feature a new infinity pool and a 283-foot glass sphere, replacing the mall’s iconic clock tower. The food court will be reborn as a foodie destination. The court will have a 54-foot glass entrance, two floors of vendors and restaurants, and an upper-level outdoor patio yielding views of the Mississauga skyline. It opens in November. EMTC's also getting new escalators, limestone flooring, and higher ceilings. (This will help lure the appealing demographic of Raptors players.)
Improvements are being made to the mall’s main wings, occupied by anchors Hudson’s Bay and Sears (the only one remaining in Mississauga). This month, a new anchor, Target, opened a 136k SF location. It’s one of the first new Target locations launched since the retailer vowed to improve its offerings following a disappointing launch in Canada, which saw it rack up nearly $1B in losses. EMTC is looking to bring in “aspirational brand” retailers, says Nance, primarily fashion-focused.
Energy efficiency has always been a top priority; the mall won the 2010 BOMA National Earth Award for shopping centres. With the revamp, lighting has been converted to LED, and the glass dome over centre court and ETMC's new skylights will have fritting that allows for natural light but mitigates sun-ray penetration. More than 250 trees have been planted at the outdoor entrances.
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