Kingsway Mall is a shopping centre located in central Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Bordered by three major commuter roads (109 Street, Princess Elizabeth Avenue, and Kingsway), Kingsway Mall is situated near NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) and the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
 Kingsway Mall | |
 | |
| Location | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°33′42″N 113°30′20″W / 53.56167°N 113.50556°W |
| Opening date | 3 March 1976 |
| Previous names | Kingsway Garden Mall (1976–2009) |
| Management | Oxford Properties |
| Owner | OMERS Realty Corp. |
| No. of stores and services | 174[1] |
| No. of anchor tenants | 7[citation needed] |
| Total retail floor area | 977,880 square feet (90,848 m2)[2] |
| No. of floors | 2+basement & offices (on 3rd floor) |
| Parking | 3,770 stalls[1] |
| Public transit access |    Kingsway/Royal Alex station |
| Website | kingswaymall |
It is the second largest mall in Edmonton, behind West Edmonton Mall, and contains over 174 stores and services including Hudson's Bay, Sport Chek, H&M, and Marshalls/HomeSense.[1] The mall has two main shopping levels (with The Shoe Company situated in the basement) and a third floor consisting of professional offices. Over 3,770 parking stalls surround the mall, in two levels on the east side, as well as Edmonton Transit System services at the Kingsway/Royal Alex and NAIT stations.
History
editThe mall opened on 3 March 1976 as Kingsway Garden Mall.[3] At the time, Sears and Zellers were the anchor tenants.[4] In 1986, the mall was renovated to include a larger food court under a glass atrium, an expanded Zellers, additional retail stores, and a complete renovation of the mall.[5] In May 1987, SuperValu closed with sources saying it was forced to close because the mall's owners no longer wanted a grocery store.[6] Kingsway Mall expanded in 1988 with a new addition on the southeast section, adding 81 new stores including a two-storey The Bay.[4]
From 2007 to 2009, the mall completed a $70-million redevelopment which included automation to the mall's mechanical and electrical systems and brighter interior lighting and decor. The grand reopening was held on the weekend of 13 November 2009, which saw the name change to simply Kingsway, introduced the public to the new mall, and opened the winter shopping season.[7]
On February 11, 2013, the mall's longtime anchor tenant Zellers closed and was the final Zellers location in Edmonton standing.[8] On 14 March 2014, Target opened at the former Zellers space,[9] but closed on 4 April 2015.[10] Also, in 2014, the Smitty's and Shefield Express closed and were revitalized into Forever 21. The mall also had the last Smart Set in Edmonton. Hot Topic opened in the mall in the fall of 2015 and was the first in Edmonton.[citation needed]
In 2017, the mall underwent a $50 million renovation which added a new wing of the mall in the former Target. The new addition contains stores such as Marshalls, HomeSense, H&M (which moved from elsewhere in the mall), around 15 retailers, and a 250 square metres (2,700 sq ft) community pop-up space.[11] In late 2017, the Sears store announced its liquidation and closed on 8 January 2018.[12]
In 2019, Forever 21 closed.[13] This space was taken by Urban Behavior for a short time during the COVID-19 pandemic until the lease expired.[citation needed] In 2021, Forever 21 returned to Kingsway Mall.[14] On 8 July 2021, Walmart announced that it would be exiting its current Westmount Centre location and relocating to Kingsway Mall in the former Sears space on 20 October 2022.[15][16] A portion of the former Sears where the store's Sears Home entrance and section were located, was not taken over by Walmart, and that space was replaced by Fit 4 Less, on 22 February 2023.[citation needed] On 23 March 2023, Zellers returned to Kingsway Mall, although as a store-within-a-store in the Hudson's Bay store.[17]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Kingsway Mall Brochure" (PDF). Oxford Properties. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ "Permanent Leasing". Kingsway Mall. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ "A maze of people". Edmonton Journal. 3 March 1976. pp. D1. Retrieved 1 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Kingsway Mall celebrating its new expansion". Edmonton Journal. 10 August 1988. pp. D2. Retrieved 2 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Grand reopening festivity for Kingsway Garden Mall". Edmonton Journal. 14 October 1986. pp. B12. Retrieved 2 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Super Valu closing Kingsway Mall store". Edmonton Journal. 26 May 1987. pp. F1. Retrieved 2 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Mah, Bill (6 November 2009). "Kingsway Light". Edmonton Journal. canada.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2009.
- ^ "Zellers Store Liquidation Schedule". Hudson's Bay Company Vendor Partners. 12 October 2012. Archived from the original on 1 December 2024.
- ^ "Target to Celebrate Grand Opening of Toronto Stockyards Store". CNW Group. 13 March 2014. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ^ Harris, Sophia (25 March 2015). "Target Canada closing 80 stores by Easter weekend". CBC News. Archived from the original on 25 March 2015.
- ^ Kent, Gordon (15 November 2017). "Kingsway Mall overhaul includes pop-up space for food vendors". Edmonton Journal. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ Parrish, Julia (8 January 2018). "'That will be it': Last day for Sears in Edmonton". CTV News Edmonton. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ Patterson, Craig (30 September 2019). "Forever 21 Announces Closure of All 44 Canadian Stores". Retail Insider. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ Patterson, Craig (12 May 2021). "Forever 21 Begins Quietly Opening First Canadian "2.0" Stores [Photos]". Retail Insider. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ Patterson, Craig (8 July 2021). "Walmart Announces 150,000 SF Supercentre at Kingsway Mall in Edmonton with Westmount Centre Walmart Store to Close as a Result". Retail Insider. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ Issawi, Hamdi (22 October 2022). "New Kingsway Mall Walmart Supercentre replaces Westmount Mall store". Edmonton Journal. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
- ^ Parrish, Julia (23 March 2023). "'Nice little nod to nostalgia': Edmontonians line up to shop Zellers grand reopening". CTV News Edmonton. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2024.