The Return of Zellers to Winnipeg

Zellers keeps trying to make a comeback. After the closure of The Bay where Zellers pop-ups were thought to make the department store relevant again, it seemed we'd seen the last the last of attempts to revive the brand. In the 1990s, Zellers numbered 350 stores across Canada. By the time Target came in and bought 220 Zellers, it left and orphaned and unwanted 70 locations that began slowly closing until there was none. As for Target, it was only a few shorts years in Canada and they retreated back across the border. All the old locations now have different stores in them.

As The Bay struggled in post-Covid times, Zellers was brought in to help the store sales with a wave of nostalgia and product lines. However, the American owner of HBC had pretty much sold most things of value and so the oldest company in Canada was liquidated including the Zellers popups in Bay stores across Canada.

In receivership, leases and namesakes and anything of value are being sold off with oversight by the court. Canadian Tire bought The Bay name and key intellectual property for around $30 million. It is believed that they open parts of the business under The Bay name and sell things like Hudson Bay blankets.

But no one knew what was to come of Zellers. No mention was made whether it's name or intellectual property was sold. Now we know the answer. It was. A group associated with retailer Fairweather. The details on the new Zellers are few. It is in Edmonton's Londonderry Mall and around 60,000 square feet. But whether it has a grill, carries certain products and the like is a mystery.

The word is though that the new Zellers is looking at Winnipeg but it unknown whether it will go to St. Vital or Polo Park or neither. A credible owner now has control over Zellers. A lot of eyes will be on the new Edmonton location to see if it will be turning up in Winnipeg in 2026.

Autumnbee's Pizza Closed

After so many years of construction at Grant Park, so many changes, it is not surprising that some businesses inside were just not able to survive. Autumnbee's Pizza in the former Pizza Place location just down from the Landmark Theatre has closed. It might have been inevitable that this would have been the fate. Almost all full service restaurants in malls that don't have their own entrances to the outside are gone now.

It probably was particularly cruel to see Fionn Macool's going up in the parking lot, yes another casual dining competitor so close.

It used to be that the old Pizza Place was one of the few places in the dense neighbourhood where you could get a bite before a movie or the Grant Park arena or in the restaurant desert that was River Heights.

For the first time in a very long while it appears that Grant Park has achieved a final lay-out that should be sustained for a number of years. Winners, Canadian Tire and Goodlife are all in place and should be there for some time to come.

Neighbourhood changes south of the mall are also likely to bring more people to the area and the mall is well positioned now with a complete fresh look.

It is sad to see the longtime pizza joint close down but is just a matter of time that we see the movie theatre become licensed and begin serving more diverse food samplings. They may have closed just in time. It remains to be seen in another restaurant takes over the site or whether it will go retail.

Goodlife Fitness Coming to Grant Park Shopping Center

In 2015, Goodlife Fitness indicated an interest in all of the Targets that were closing in Canada. Some scoffed at this without realizing how many former Eaton's locations had been taken over by the national gym many years back. Still, at least in Manitoba, the pursuit of four fair sized locations seemed a longshot for a variety of reasons due to size or location.

Grant Park just north of future transit station. High traffic area coming soon

There has been no official announcement but it has been confirmed by sources in the real estate world that Goodlife is about to occupy one of the old Targets. That location is the Grant Parking Shopping Center.

At first it was thought that Canadian Tire would occupy the whole location. However, the renovations underway reveal that the retailer has taken 86,000 square feet of the old space. The part that is left is still a massive 34,000 square feet section immediately behind Pony Coral.

The map included shows how Canadian Tire will share the space with Goodlife. At 34,000 square feet, it will easily be the biggest location in the city surpassing Kenaston

Canadian Tire opens July 1st and Goodlife Fitness, if all the rumours are true, looks to be in the next several months.

Grant Park Mall Update

Cambrian Credit Union beside Petro-Canada

The big news first is that the Grant Park Mall will see Canadian Tire open on July 1st. It will take over a good large chunk of the former Target, former Zellers, former Walmart, former Woolco. With any luck, this will be the last anchor store that spot has for many years to come. The store will be 86,000 square feet leaving 34,000 square feet left to occupy.

There is still a vacancy on the east side of the Canadian Tire and I was to hazard a guess, it would be ideal for a dollar store.

Inside the mall, Menchie's has opened up across from Autumbee's Pizza. That entire end of the mall should benefit when the Canadian Tire entrance once again opens in summer. At the Co-Op Grocery store/Liquor Mart end, there are a few vacancies as well. Expect to hear more over the next weeks.

There is construction in the marking lot next to the Petro-Canada where a 5,800 square foot Cambrian Credit Union is being built. The location replaces the building at 735 Pembina Highway near the turn off for Stafford. There are presently 11 locations in Winnipeg and Selkirk. The CIBC inside the mall has been located there for 45 years.

Grant Park has always been a little bit more than some other malls. The movie theatre, McNally Robinson and a large liquor store bring in a consistent crowd. A few more key pieces and the years of work put into the mall should pay off.