The recent opening of a Save-On-Foods at the Northgate Shopping Centre marks the highest-profile addition to the troubled north Winnipeg mall, but it certainly won’t be the last.
Northgate’s traffic nosedived after its 120,000-square-foot Zellers store closed in 2013, leaving the mall more than half-empty.
But the ongoing $20 million upgrade is projected to transform the often-forgotten enclosed mall into a modern open-air shopping centre, said Jonah Levine, a sales representative at Cushman & Wakefield, Winnipeg, the mall’s leasing agent.
“We feel we’re creating a hub for the community that will far exceed anything that has existed in northwest Winnipeg in the past and will be competitive with key retailers and grocers in the area,” he said, adding he is getting a “strong” level of interest for some of the existing vacant space from national retailers.
By the time the renovations are completed by the end of next year, 17,000 square feet of new pad sites will have been added.
The biggest cosmetic change to Northgate will be the demolition of the interior walkway and transformation to an outdoor format centre, according to Cushman & Wakefield.
