DUER Opens in Polo Park

Over the past weekend DUER opened a fashion store at CF Polo Park. The men and women's active clothing line has already seen demand according to the company spokesman. The talk was that Polo Park was on a upswing and this past year, along with St. Vital Centre, we have seen Generation Z lead a recovery back into malls.

Even with tariffs there has been an indication that retail sales have had some resilience. It will be a short time after school starts that many malls will have jobs markets. The savvy kids who struggled this summer and only started looking for jobs just before July weekend should know this is the time to look. And no, we have seen a huge decline in student visas as well as temporary foreign workers. Jobs should be added this fall but looking when you finish your last exam mid December is probably too late.

Most of the two floors of Polo Park seem to have secured the majority of leases headed into Halloween and Christmas season. DUER will succeed or not succeed based on the quality of their wares, the price and Polo Park's ability to attract floor traffic. The T&T Supermarket will take time to build but is an indication that the mall is looking to bring back grocery which sees more frequent mall guests.

As mentioned, the only fly in the ointment is trade and instability south of the border. However, Canada as a country of 42 million is seeing substantial investment with resources like oil and mining. There is also pent up demand post Covid. Cadillac Fairview seems to be focused on the mall any any empty space before engaging in any additional building outside of the mall. They are already selling parts of surrounding area. This may trigger other investors who have been waiting on the sides.

For the moment store like DUER seem happing to secure space. 

T&T Supermarkets to Open in Polo Park

When EQ3 and 24/7 In Touch moved to the former Sears building after a few years of it sitting empty, there were a few spaces left within not filled. One of those spaces was eventually filled by the popular store Zara. However, one very large space was unoccupied. It was Sears basement which had at times hosted furnishing, discounted items and storage. Pick-ups came via a down ramp and you could load up your Sears Kenmore. At 265,000 square feet, the old Simpson-Sears was a monster. The total basement space was 48,000 square feet. 

I was always curious why EQ3, the Winnipeg-based store didn't take all the space of the first floor. A huge section facing towards Portage remained unfilled even as Zara opened next door. Nothing was ever announced and the focus recently has been on filling space in the mall and the disposition of The Bay. There had been rumours of a grocery store as Polo Park once sported two groceries across the hall from one another with Dominion and Loblaw's. Since Save On Foods is across the street from the mall and the biggest Safeway in the province was at Madison Square, the list of options was small.

One of the rumours was T&T Supermarkets, the B.C.-based Asian grocer, was the grocer to come to Polo Park. Certainly over 15 years of lobbying for the store to come have Tina Lee an idea that the province might be a good place to a store. Lee, daughter of the founders and one of if the Ts in T&T says that former Lieutenant Governor Philip Lee (no relation) advocated for years for a store. The T in T&T is Tiffany, Tina's sister. As Tina reveals, it was logistics and supply chain issues that made it so long in coming.

Seafood will have to be flown in and other supplies required a much bigger Ontario warehouse which the company has just built. Given the size of the Winnipeg store it will require a lot of stock. Target died in Canada because of their inventory system and stretched supply lines. It looks like T&T is getting their ducks in a row.

The store will have a hot take out area, live seafood as well as bbq section. Grocery will be include vegetables, fruit, full bakery and items for the Asian market. Non grocery items will include skincare products from Korea, China and Japan. The large Filipino will feature prominently. Nearly 70% of the products coming into Winnipeg are presently not sold here, according to the company.

The main level at the southwest corner close to Joeys will be the main entrance. It will have escalators and elevators capable of transporting carts, much like the old Polo Park Target. It is unclear how carts will be handled. The old Safeway frequently had to corral their wayward carts in mall parking. The grocery will be in the basement which has been empty since 2019.

The new grocery, like a lot of new Winnipeg investment, opens in 2028.

Forever 21 and Bluenotes Closing at Polo Park, Thrifty's Opening

Summer is when many malls start making changes so that everything is in place for the fall/winter season when school starts and Christmas shopping begins. Forever 21's American owners closed all their Canadian in 2019 stores despite their success in Canada to help their bankrupt U.S. stores. Even though Canadian owners took over the name and operations in 2021, the Covid years hurt retail for some time and changed shopping patterns. Even today, some shoppers were unaware that Forever 21 had returned. The Polo Park shop is a massive 37,000 square feet so the closure was something that is not easily filled. The first time it happened was when a flurry of closures in retail were happening.

And so Forever 21 is again closing their big store but at least there is a retailer in the wings waiting to take on 35 of their employees and add more. Thrifty's is returning to Winnipeg after closing their last store at Outlet Collection four years ago. Thrifty's thought their old name was losing lustre so many were converted to Bluenotes. More big retailers have a few nameplates to sell from. Forever 21's, owner also owns Urban Planet and that is still doing well.

The closure of Bluenotes at Polo Park is simply a transfer of those 20 employees and brands to the supersized Thrifty's. On July 12 Forever 21 will close and July 22 Thrifty's will open. The old Bluenotes should have no problem being filled as Polo Park remains one of the top 10 malls in the country. There are still no announced plans for the old Bay though. The size and score of that requires some real investment and innovation. There are no department stores about to take over.

Many malls are being upgraded at the moment. Polo Park has seen many changes. Victoria Secret's 12,700 is going through a complete upgrade. Body Shop is moving upstairs. Other changes and upgrades are expected. Will Forever 21 come back? You can never be too sure. Four years ago it seemed unlikely Thrifty's would be back. Generation Z and Generation Alpha seem to be driving mall renewal and interest. 

Red River Co-Op to Move Into Portage Place

The signage has gone up and the parties have confirmed it. Portage Place will have a ground floor grocery and a pharmacy. That store will be Red River Co-Op. At 22,500 square foot store and a 6,500 square foot pharmacy and a staff of 57. This will be the 10th store in the Winnipeg region for the Co-Op. The timing of the opening is 2029. Construction has been ongoing all this year and the building of the Pan Am Clinic is the first priority. 

The Bay is also under intense construction and there hasn't be an update on where they are at but it is ongoing. Housing and offices will eventually be in place there and nearby and the need for the grocery store will be apparent. Initial response that a Red River Co-Op going is has been positive. There are five national grocers with their huge suppliers. It was thought that a Sobeys/Safeway had the inside track. However, the Co-Op is local and likely pushed hard to expand their store size after a near death experience back in 1983. The entire grocery business was shut down along with anything not related to fuel sales. It was a painful recovery.

Munther Zeid from Foodfare questioned the economic reasons and said if there was a market for grocery, Safeway or Safe on Foods would have moved in. He has a point save for one thing. Grocery store size. The companies he mentions builds new stores that are 40,000 square feet. The South Osborne Safeway has a legacy store at 19,000 square feet. It is hanging on because it has no competition and a parking lot.

None of the biggies want a store with no dedicated parking lot. So why does Red River think they can do it? The pharmacy. There are only a handful of pharmacies downtown even with a few thousand residents living nearby. The few Shoppers and Rexall are all south of Portage Avenue. Red River Co-Op notably kept their pharmacy as a stand alone location on Main when Giant Tiger took over their lease (which they have since abandoned) on Main Street. Pharmacies make money. And they are built with layered security everywhere. 

Know what Foodfares don't have? Pharmacies. Zeid knows groceries better than anyone. He has been on the frontline for decades and fighting shoplifting harder than anyone. He knows what he talks about when it comes to trying to make a living in the grocery business. The pharmacy and its safes and locked areas is a good cushion for profitability. Thousands of students at the University of Winnipeg, student housing across the street by the Winnipeg Art Gallery, housing behind Portage Place and new housing onsite atop Portage Place provides the population base to build a store customer base. 

The lack of a food court in Portage Place should discourage the type of congregating for the purpose of drug distribution. And thousands of patients a day at the new Pam Am Clinic should create the safety of crowds that is seen when hockey and concert events happen downtown. Harassment of people will have dozens of people calling 911 and filming it. Likewise, True North properties have zero tolerance for encampments or people taking up residence of doorways. Seriously. Watch security make themselves present if people linger in the Square for purposes other than commuting or commerce. Also, get in a fracas at Canada Life Centre, find yourself banned for life from all events there. Malls like Polo Park also institute bans so I expect to see Portage Place ban people from the property if they are violent or shoplifting. Technology will be used to identify people who are consistently a problem.

Low income people have to be protected and the work with the community patrols will help with people who need assistance. Housing geared to income is part of what is going up in the area but success with come from a mix of people which could include tourists in hotels, visitors for concerts, conventions and sports. 

In keeping with the standard set ups for most urban groceries, there will be one entrance in, delivery, deli, bakery, meat, dairy and produce sections. If there is any area I feel they might skimp on, I would say sections of ethnic and specialty stuff. This probably suits some of the ethnic convenience stores that have tried to carve out new niche areas for themselves downtown and elsewhere. Self checkouts are likely to have two forms of control. The first will be scanner exiting the checkout and the next will be receipt control. It is unclear whether the store will exit to the front street or inside the mall. Staples found it was better inside. One thing is clear is that there will be another line of security for the mall and apartment entrances. And street patrols will be plainly visible.

Things have to be a multi-pronged approach to make the area successful for housing, retail, recreation and healthcare. If people feel there are no go zones where they could face danger, they will resist going there. In some cases though, you will have no choice. If you have a knee surgery at Pan Am, you will be there are 8 AM. Likewise, many people work downtown and not some suburb. They need to know they can ride the bus without fear, park their cars and find them later and go outside for lunch without the chance of homicide or being swept up in arrest.

I suspect there will be a lot ways this happens and it will be black by block that are reclaimed as neighbourhoods. A grocery is essential to that and the amount of spending to convert Portage Place and the former Bay building tops $1 billion. This isn't just a luxury mall and luxury housing. It is a comprehensive reconstruction and not a trip down nostalgia lane. It is trying to build housing in the area and make sure there are services to support it. The mistake at Portage Place is the investment stopped after the 1980s. The money earned was delivered to The Forks for their ultimate success.

Uniqlo Opens in Polo Park

When I lived in Japan, Uniqlo was just a few years open and only really known by Japanese or foreigners who lived in the country. While a lot of people were focused on international stores opening in the country such as Virgin Records, not as much attention was paid to a number stores opening in Japan that would take the world by storm. In 1984, the first store in Hiroshima was called Unique Clothing Warehouse. By 1988, because of an error in registration for brand name in Hong Kong, someone slipped a Q in and by 1989 Uniqlo was the official name. This is when I arrived in Japan.

People said the company was fast fashion but the reputation even then was for durable and enjoyable clothing. Affordable, which Japanese had not seen much of, during a steady luxury brands and stores entering the market. Living there as long as I did, I appreciated goods that fit and were not insanely priced. As Japan's economy went through a prolonged stagnation in the 1990s, Uniqlo grew in popularity as a staple of men and women's closets.

The first store in Canada was Eaton Centre in Toronto in 2016. Last years there was a flurry of stores in places in places like Vancouver and Calgary. Now Polo Park and later this year, St. Vital Centre get their Uniqlos.

How important is Uniqlo to the malls of Winnipeg? Very important. Generation Z is very much into a return to the mall. Unlike some Millennials who only order online, only text and don't like social settings, Generation Z is into experiences and socializing. It has been this generation that lined up for the store opening and showed a general enthusiasm for the event. Other generations also went but Uniqlo and Zara are among a few stores that have helped malls in Winnipeg find their mojo.

We are not nearly as over-malled as the U.S. nor have some of the long contracts that crippled some malls such as Mall of America. Sears, which has been closed for a very long time, has a 99 year lease at the mall so the space remains unoccupied. Columbia Mall is nearly abandoned in Grand Forks, North Dakota. At one time, the mall in Grand Forks led the way of what people in Winnipeg hoped to see in their malls. Overall, most cities seems to be absorbing the lost space left by retailers like Sears and The Bay.

Uniqlo had some of the best marketing we have seen in some time. They hired local as many times as they could in entertainment and food and product. The brought in influencers, They bought ads, And they invited media. It was a masterclass of how to make a grand entrance. And their target audience came even though it was a school day. I don't think this is the last retailer we see that draws a crowd but it might be harder to find leasable space since Polo Park and St. Vital seem to have a plan to attract stores people want.

Lands Around Polo Park Being Sold Off

 

Shindico has indicated that Cadillac Fairview's priority surrounding Polo Park has been downgraded. The blame has been put on the City of Winnipeg slow walking zoning, the rising costs of construction and fewer multi-unit housing starts planned. Some of this is true but it is also true that Polo Park has had continuous upgrades from Sears to Zellers and has still has The Bay to deal with. Each projects takes time and millions.

There was a mad rush to get the arena and the stadium down and street improvements made. An urgency was presented for the speed of the work. The airport zoning was changed years ago. If we are to believe the news now, there was only a tiny window about 10 years ago or so and now it is gone. 

The truth is probably more in the middle. The two developers had amassed a huge 84 acres but the so-called delay they describe around 2020 was already in the middle of Covid. The site has already lost to the Seasons of Tuxedo site a huge amount of retail, hotels, commercial buildings and entertainment. In the race to develop, Seasons was way ahead. And there was not much room for a whole new outlet mall.

Now, it may be the Kapyong Barracks time although is likely to be piece by piece. Hoarding an 84 acre site when both Shindico and Cadillac Fairview have their own projects and competitors nipping at their heels. Holding onto land another decade probably seems like a costly thing to keep on the balance sheet. What they originally thought was that was the whole site would be built in steady phases and that they would be collecting ever rising rent over the years. 

There is no doubt that some other businesses would build in a red hot minutes if they could both own and operate the near Polo Park. Hence, the word hoarding is used in this case. No one was buying what these two companies were selling. They were trying to build luxury, high end rental property thinking it would sell like a hotcakes. It wasn't. The endless empty parking lots with shiny new roads all around is an indication of that. And like so many projects, bait a switch. A rush to approve demolition and then no start to construction.

Hopefully, the sale will reveal who is serious about getting stuff built. The city can help get stuff built with the shovel ready program. The luxury stuff can be handled by the developers themselves. The government can focus on support for lower income units and residents who need support directly.  Helping to pay for shopping centers isn't needed.

It isn't likely we see anything soon on Polo Park. Cadillac Fairview and Shindico have a lot of projects on the go. Other companies can carry the football over the line now. It's time for big corporations and government to get out of the way. And in some circumstances, the public who can make outrageous demands on height restrictions, density or design even when buildings are outside their area. The desire to control things reminds me of the time Linden Woods had a petition against The Keg building across Waverley many years ago because the smell of steaks might drive dogs nuts. The citizens won.

There is no doubt that several different restaurant groups might be interested in having an establishment at Polo Park. Cactus Club, Milestone's and others have considered expanding into Winnipeg but a site next to a major attraction like the arena or Polo Park has been considered key. Several American companies like Shake Shack have been looking to expand to Winnipeg.

As far as apartments, there are several assisted living companies looking for space and Polo Park would seem to fit the bill. However, they might not have had room with the large developers who often want to do the work in-house or whose cut was just too big to make viable. Land hoarding is done by both private and public organizations. And the land around Polo Park has been hoarded for a long time with no results. Waiting for the maximum sales value has meant empty parking lots.

It seems the mad rush to clear out the stadium and arena for something better will take more time. It won't be the first time or the last that the city has been told by a developer to demolish things only to slick back into the sidelines and blame the city for not moving even faster. In the end, the sale off could a very good thing. What once was a warehousing area and manufacturing sector is being populated by hotels and specialized retail. And now more people might actually be able to live in the area.

Polo Park isn't about to become a declining area. Millions are being spent on the mall and surrounding areas. I expect security and policing to be a major issue this year so expect a big boost in those areas. If Polo Park declines then the whole city is likely in crisis. That doesn't seem likely. The prospect and new enthusiastic developers for the site will be welcome.

Sunrise Records Kildonan Place to Close

Kildonan has been on a relentless transformation over the last 15 years as major anchors have closed and they try to find new ones and upgrade to new attractions. After grocery and theatre upgrades, the last area is the food court. And with that has come a lot of moves and closures to accommodate the change.

By all rights, record stores should be dead. But they refuse to be in Canada. Sunrise Records is the descendent of HMV Records and seems to be doing well even in 2026. It can be a tough time for legacy stores of 30 or 40 years vintage. Warehouse, based in Winnipeg and across the country is being liquidated along with sister company Bootlegger. It seems unlikely they survive in any form but who knows. Toys R Us is also in final stages of closure. 

Sunrise Records will be around but the days of a record store at Kildonan Place appear to be over for now. It has had a number of record stores in it since its founding. And there could be one day in the future where one might return.

The overall health of the malls in Winnipeg appears to be good despite the closure of The Bay which still leave space to filled at Polo Park and St. Vital. There have been a few incidents at Kildonan and other major malls but overall security is responsive and there are no large vacancy rates that can be seen all over the U.S.

Generation Z seems to be helping a revival of malls but it isn't entirely clear if they are buying old fashioned records. If they are, then maybe see a return of a record store in the future at Kildonan.

St. Vital Centre Purchased for $160 Million

St. Vital Centre was built in 1979 for about $40 million just when a flurry of other malls were going up in including Kildonan Place, Winnipeg Square, Eaton Centre and Unicity. That was a lot of malls all at once and some of them did not survive or have been drastically changed over the years. Most of the malls were owned by real estate companies in the beginning but many including Primaris and Cadillac Fairview are now owned all or in part by the Maple 8, Canadians top government pension funds. For the last numbers of years St. Vital Centre has been owned by the Ontario Pension Board.

In recent years some private players have been making inroads as owners. It is unclear who their shareholders might be. In many cases their financing still comes from pension funds as in the case of Brookfield Asset Management. The fact that a pension fund sells a property doesn't mean they are not part of shareholding or or financing the deal to enhance their balance sheets. 

In the case of the sale of St. Vital Centre to Leyad, a Quebec-based real estate company, it appears the sale was financed by six credit unions in a syndicate. Since Leyad is a private company, it doesn't have to disclose its financial structure except to the banks and paying taxes. 

This is not the first foray into real estate in Winnipeg by Leyad. They have purchased Garden City Square, Johnston Terminal, CDI College and the Canada Goose Distribution Centre over the years for a pretty significant footprint in the city. Next to Montreal, it might be the biggest holdings right in the company. 

For many years St. Vital Centre has been firmly entrenched as the second largest mall in the city. Due to the location, it is hard for it to expand much beyond what it is now unless they build up. However, they still have to fill the empty Bay store location. This is an issue for Polo Park as well. Since the other large story closures led to knew tenants, it is expect that by year end announcements will be made on new uses for the space. And Leyad seems well suited to investing in their properties but that remains to be seen. The Johnston Terminal took a while to get going again after Covid but seems better now.

There is no record of what the purchase price of the mall when it was taken over by the Ontario Pension Board. However, with the original price being $40 million and the sale price being $160.5 million that is a very healthy price for a mall still producing income. The powerful Canadian pensions probably can't quit malls completely. They are too big and growing to not buy real estate. The U.S. could be less attractive if their economy tanks but who knows? That could be the perfect time to invest. Just ask the people who bought dirt cheap after the last crash in Florida and Arizona.

As mentioned, there have been some malls across Canada that have closed. In Winnipeg, that would be Portage Place, Unicity and a few strip malls. However, Canada never really overbuilt the way the U.S. has and done. In Grand Forks, North Dakota, you could call Columbia Mall a failed mall. It is embarrassing to see.

The purchase by Leyad is probably an attempt by St. Vital Centre to remain the second largest mall in the province ahead of Outlet Collection Mall and the rest of the Seasons development. This may be a losing battle because the Seasons development had been going strong for 13 years. There has never been a stop in building on the site although it is possible this year might see the last few spots filled up in the surrounding mall spaces.

St. Vital's hosting of the Children's Hospital Book Sale at least two to three time a year also fills the place with people from all over the city and beyond. For those who don't remember, it used to be Polo Park that hosted this. The destination malls usually have things over seasonal times to attract shoppers. The more unique, the better. For many decades it was mini-concerts and fashion shows.

It seems Leyad's purchase of St. Vital Centre will be followed up with a multimillion investment in the former Bay location soonest. There are few if any big retailers out there that could take the full space over. Some are still hankering for a Simons department store but it might be wishful thinking as the company takes a long time to expand their private company. Others believe there might be a new grocery coming courtesy of rule changes that block competitor from opening in the same mall. Many places have agreements that are paid for to keep other grocery and pharmacy out. This has been ruled as anti-competitive. Those that continue to practice may face penalties and fines.

It used to be that malls had long lists of retailers wanting to move in but the need to expand the hours and reasons to go to the mall have had to increase. It can't be all fashion stores that don't last a season. Expect to see more moved development in the near future.

 

Kildonan Place Food Court

It seems Kildonan Place has been under construction for a decade. And to some extent it has. The loss of Sears and The Bay along with other stores meant the mall seemed to be perpetually replacing stores like Dominion, Sears, Bay, Zellers and Target. The addition of Save-on-Foods and a new and expanded movie theatre has helped bring stability to that end of the mall.

The goal of a mall is to extend how long each day people are there as well as try to get repeat business. A grocery store usually brings people to the mall at least once a week as do any pharmacies in the mall. A movie theatre can attract a younger crowd and help the restaurants and food court on a weekly basis and longer into the evening and weekends.

Polo Park and St. Vital Centre have also gone through substantial changes but Kildonan Place has been hit by the changes in retailing harder than most. It seems to have solved the issue of retailers as well as anchor entertainment but the long stalled upgrade to food court just didn't happen until now.

A good food court or all can add all sorts of life to a mall. The St. Vital food court expansion cemented it's spot as the most attractive of the courts with soaring ceilings, faux stone surroundings and fireplaces. Most food courts try to have a variety of ethnic choices albeit in fast food options. Polo Park's second floor food court is not nearly as attractive but it is large and has variety. It is possible that we see Polo Park do something different but I tend to believe if they had wanted to move, they would have used the space on the first floor of the Sears building. Still, I would not rule out a third floor being added to the mall in the next five years and the food court moving up. This would likely only happen if there is a new focus on hotel, housing and entertainment in the mall.

However, back to Kildonan, their food court has been in need of an upgrade for ten or more years. The food court they have sufficed with is cozy but the mall is bigger and the amount of people living nearby greater. The move and expansion of Dollarama as well as Cineplex Junxion set up opportunity for an upgrade. This was an 8000 square foot space to create a new food court.

The old movie theatre will be demolished and a newly re-designed entrance will go. Guest Services will move and re-open in April. As far as the food court goes, it will go from 8 vendors to 10 vendors and 325 seats to 550 seats. Although some things are expanding, the actual leasable space will be reduced by 30,000 square feet.

None of the work comes cheap and it will take till 2027 for work to be totally complete. By that time perhaps the next huge change happens to Kildonan. The ups and downs have hit this mall more than most but according to the landlord, it is still a profitable mall.

Some local retailers will displaced in this which is sad because clearly the mall depended on them when large national and international stores shut down. There is some evidence that some of these stores are finding other leasing space for themselves. 

Toys R Us Closing at Polo Park

Opened in 1989. Toy R us Polo Park has had success even when American and UK divisions of the company folded. Sadly, many stores are now closing in Canada as competition eats away at them. At one point there were around 100 stores coast to coast. That number might be around 40 now.

Even as some other stores are folded into Toys R Us like Babies R Us and HMV, the company has had a hard time competing with Amazon and Walmart. In general, some toys stores have struggled in the past year such as Mastermind. There could be a variety of reasons why not the least of which is that the stores are too big and rent too high.

There have been some big changes since Toys R Us opened in 1989. Back then the Red River Ex, stadium and arena were all in the area and drew large crowds much of the year. Polo Park Mall still draw crowds. It has been some time since the arena and stadium closed and the spaces around that area remains largely vacant. This possibly has had an impact on traffic.

There will be some who mourn the loss. It is always surprising that Americans who come here have their faces light up when they see the store. In 2026, it is reported that Toys R Us will be opening stores again in the U.S. This could boost prospects in Canada too if there is a new approach and format that appears to work.

The Regent store remains for now. Perhaps this closure will forestall any more closures. All retail is facing a bit of chaos in terms of post pandemic climate, supply chains, inflation, tariffs and relevancy. Amazon has turned into a monster but in house experience can still be possible. For example, Spirit Halloween, is not just about costumes but the experience of being scared by some of the noise and pop up monsters. Amazon doesn't do that. A new offering of Toys R Us needs to entertain as well as have product on sale.

There is a new approach to the Polo Park area to mix in retail and residential. The Toys R Us site doesn't have an automatic store to jump into the space. It could be we see more apartments go up now that it is permitted after resistance from Winnipeg Airport. It is sad though that a long time store with memories for a lot of people over four decades disappears now.

Abercrombie and Fitch, Uniqlo Coming to Polo Park, Eddie Bauer Closing

Polo Park remains the top mall because it continues to adapt and attract tenants. Having said that, it must be exhausting some of the big retailers like Eaton's, Sears, Zellers, The Bay and others who have collapsed over the years. Even now, the mall and St. Vital are trying to figure out what to do about the empty Bay stores. It is likely we hear more in 2026 but it is unlikely that there is any big retailer is about to grab the whole space. Even Simons would not occupy that much space as seen from their recent expansion from Quebec into Ontario.

This story is not about the anchor stores though. This is about the smaller retailers that make up the corridors between the anchors. After Christmas every year changes are made and there will be periods where some retailers are looking to to downsize or close and others are looking to the opposite. There will be attempts in the mall to move retailers around so they can occupy bigger spaces or to be in an area where each retailer attracts a certain type of customer. For example, jewelry stores like to locate in the middle of the mall where two or more corridors intersect.

Polo Park has kept up as the top mall because it constantly invests in the building and seeks out unique stores no one else has. The Apple store does huge business. However, even having one exclusive store can have it's time and close. Eddie Bauer has been around for years and was part of a huge upgrade in 2014. There is only one in the city and on January 7, it closed. It is unknown whether this is a lease that was not renewed or whether Eddie Bauer itself made the decision. 

In the end, it doesn't matter because the mall has been moving tenants around to accommodate incoming retailers. While it is suggested Gen Zs are not going to the mall, Canada cannot merely assume what is true in the States is true here. There is some evidence to suggest that certain stores can indeed attract young people. And malls have been trying to add attractions and activities that attract families. Ask West Edmonton Mall and Mall of America about those.

Malls are like hotels in that renovations and changes within an existing framework need to be done each decade to keep things fresh. It is worth noting that Polo Park was late to the food court crowd in the 1980s. They had mall restaurants as tenants and in department stores but nothing like the other malls until their late 1980s reno. That was the way to attract young people back in the day and still is.

The constant change in recent years hastened by Covid means just as a mall settles one issue or need, they get bulldozed by new announcements of store closures they perhaps didn't not anticipate. As mentioned, Eddie Bauer is closed. The company has been closing closing locations over the last few years. However, the location closure has given Hollister a chance to re-locate and do a re-fresh. The California-look store has been at Polo Park since 2010. It is unknown if they will restore the video walls of Huntington Beach webcam that the company has broadcast since the early 2000s. Most of the stores have dropped the beach hut like entrance for a brighter, open window look. Apparently, Gen Z likes brighter lights. Also gone in the new design is the heavy scent and loud music.

In Hollister's old location near Zara, sister company Abercrombie and Fitch is set to come to Manitoba for the first time. They have had their ups and downs, CEO problems and the like. The store first started in 1892 so they know something about adapting. As a new store to the province, it will attract a lot of interest from young to mid-range age shoppers. Abercrombie has gone through several iterations as most successful brands have done. The opening of the store in 2026 should cement CF Polo Park's hold as the top mall in Manitoba.

To cap it off, the mall is adding Uniqlo, the Asian-inspire store that has fans across the world. This will be the third in a series of Asian stores to open at Polo Park. It likely won't arrive before St. Vital Center's own Uniqlo arrives. The southeast mall continues to be the main rival to Polo Park. The large Asian population of Winnipeg and those that love Asian fashion and beauty is changing the retail industry.

The goal of any mall is to transform and not leave big empty gaps in the building. To that end, what Polo Park does with the old Bay will be one to watch after these latest stores open.

Unique Bunny Expanding Across Canada

For small vendors sometimes the best place to begin is flea markets and conventions and so it was with Unique Bunny. Started by Fiona Zhao, a young Chinese immigrant who ended up in Winnipeg due to the endless supply of overseas ambassadors from Winnipeg working in various job around the globe. Promotion works and people who come to the city often have immense contributions to make.

Small vendors in pop-ups are often afforded the chance to make connections and build a name and reputation. Early Comic Con and Ai-Kon conventions were Winnipeg-made and produced events and they leaned heavily on local vendors, especially collectibles, to draw fans. Public market stalls are no longer selling mostly food items from the farm. And so it was in 2014 Unique Bunny was a frequent vendor everywhere in Winnipeg.

Unique Bunny was everywhere as a vendor selling food and cosmetics. Many Asian clients appreciated that she had products for them. Non-Asians were very much interested in styles, foods and the like to satisfy their interests in Japan and Korea. Cultural interests in Japan have exploded in the last decade. It is why there has been a steady increase in music, movies, food and products making their way to Canada.

Unique Bunny got to the point that a physical store was called for and the first one was on Corydon. It wasn't long till that was closed that the company could take a space in the center of Osborne Village. Just as the pandemic was gearing up, Unique Bunny decided to open a location on Pembina Highway closer to their large university customers.

The company survived Covid but Osborne Village struggled with crime, homelessness and a lack of foot traffic post 2020. The Village has had some recovery but many places in the city are still suffering from shoplifting, arson and a general malaise. Unique Bunny moved to malls and suburbs. McPhillips and an Outlet Collection Mall location joined the Pembina location in Winnipeg. 

In 2024, expansion to Alberta took place and locations opened in Calgary and Edmonton. The push for more locations extended again to Winnipeg and Unique Bunny opened in 2025 in Manitoba's biggest shopping center Polo Park. In the last months, Fiona Zhao has been in Saskatchewan and Quebec to open stores in Saskatoon, Quebec City and soon Montreal will join the growing stores.

By the end of November, the company will have ten stores in Canada. It truly is a success story that has not been recognized much outside of Winnipeg. That may soon change. It isn't the first time Winnipeg companies have spread beyond Manitoba and it won't be the last. The company will sale nearly 60 brands and employ 110 workers. They are beginning to have workshops in select stores to develop customer and store relationships that will last beyond casual visits.

Unique Bunny is a made in Manitoba success.

The First Chi Chi's Re-Opens in Minnesota

In the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park, Chi Chis has returned with old faves and newer menu items. After closing their last location in 2004, they are back. At one time Winnipeg's Polo Park Chi-Chi's was the largest in Canada and one of the biggest in the 200 store chain with 400 seats. A series of ownership changes and a food poisoning incident in the U.S. caused the company to collapse.

Crowdfunding has helped get the company back into 2025 and more stores are coming. Rumour has been all late summer that something is coming for Winnipeg in 2026. A location near Polo Park might make less sense than when they closed due to the Blue Bombers and Jets leaving the area. Having said that Red Lobster and Olive Garden have had amazing success near the mall.

It will likely be up to the Canadian franchisor where in Winnipeg will be best for success right off the bat. Perhaps we see an announcement in the new year.

Uniqlo, JD Sports and Lululemon to Open in St. Vital Centre

The closure of The Bay at Polo Park and St. Vital Centre has not stopped the two top malls in Winnipeg from frantically trying to upgrade. In a previous post, I indicated that Long Drugs and other stores are under construction in Polo Park. St. Vital Centre is also upgrading with some stores ready to open by September 26. It race to Christmas with only three months to go. Some stores will make it, others won't.

People in Winnipeg have a few stores on their wish list. Some they will get, others they won't. The malls have moved other retailers already in place to get choice tenants. Polo Park has done that with London Drugs coming. In some cases, the stores moved elsewhere in the mall. In other cases, they closed altogether.

For St. Vital, there has always been an awkward spot just off the doors to the food court. The mall moved some shops around and Mark's Warehouse took a very large 16,455 square foot space. It effectively created an anchor for that area and the store is less than a year in the new spot. Stores like Garage and Dynamite are opposite.

With so many hits to mall department store anchors both Polo Park and St. Vital have have had to respond to the closures. However, so much has been happening that it has been difficult to keep up with. The good news is that retail sales are up in Canada and retailers are expanding their businesses. And while the big departments are closing, other smaller are doing better.

Truth be told, the make-up of stores in malls has always been changing. The one consistent thing had been the anchors. Now the anchors are changing. Some say Amazon and Wayfair are killing the malls or big box stores or Walmart and Real Canadian Superstore but malls still are gathering places for people. In a lot of cases, stores like Walmart want to be part of or attached to malls.

Malls are evolving and are now places to go a spa, get your nails done, go to a gym or go to food halls. Something that can't come in a delivery van. The fitness centres at malls has developed nicely in Winnipeg. We can expect to see more sport and recreation related investment to attract people which supports the mall. It will be interesting to see what they do with the old Bay. That won't be a task till at least next year.

Perhaps the biggest entry into malls lately has been nail and spa shops. The Venetian has been so successful at St. Vital Centre that they are moving to larger quarters. Men's hair shops have been finding success in the malls too. Polo Park has always had some men's barbers but now they can be seen in many malls. Tommy Gun's has become a Canadian success around the world.

Venetian might be an example for other malls across the country of of spas in malls.

At St. Vital Centre, mall owners have been always wanted some good original stores that no one else has but they also look at Polo Park with envy and hope to grab their own version of popular stores in the largest mall. And so it is that two popular stores will be coming in the next days and weeks to St. Vital. Over time, malls like St. Vital have filled spaces such as the departure of Sears.

The first to open September 26 is Lululemon is opening their third location in the city after Polo Park and Outlet Collection. This is a huge win for St. Vital. Lululemon has a very loyal costumer base that makes their way to wherever the store is. Now for people in this area of town, they have a store right where they live.

Another huge win is the soon to arrive JD Sports. The UK-based store has only one location in Manitoba so far at Polo Park. The St. Vital location will make two. The stylish sports store is pricier than a SportChek but has collections that shopper look for.

To bring these storm in, some doors have moved and others have closed altogether. Sunrise Records has moved to a different corridor.

The big get the St. Vital hasn't announced is Uniqlo. To get this store, the mall is moving a bunch for stores or seeing some close.

Uniqlo has 33 stores in Canada and many have just opened in 2025. St. Vital will get the first one in Manitoba. You can bet that Polo Park will be envious. The Japanese-based store has been on some shopper's list in the province for some time.

Another add on to come is HolyShakes which is a Canadian company the specialized in gourmet shakes. They are to open soon but their doors open to the exterior of the mall near SportChek.

Without doubt the large amount of building are the malls adjusting to the renewed demand for in person retailing. It could be indicating a slow recovery post Covid.

Kiokii Coming to Polo Park

Lots of construction going on in Polo Park as it continues to adjust to the loss of major retailers such as The Bay. It isn't all bad news. As per usual there is a rush of activity to prepare for Christmas which is just under 100 days away. This seems to happen in Polo Park every year as stores ebb and flow with the fashions. Only rock steady companies go on and on such as Apple and Victoria Secret.

It used to be jewellry stores that were the forever stores. They were often in the center of the mall facing one another. All usually on the first floor. Polo Park continues to have a lot of jewellry stores but only Ben Moss is on the first floor center court anymore. A few have migrated to the second floor while others like to be closer to entrances on the first or second.

The old Brettons/Zellers second floor area is finally getting the transformation that create anchors on that floor. 

As mentioned here before, London Drugs is opening their first location on the second floor where the mall looped around in a U shape. It was a less desirable location than some others in the mall but London Drugs is likely to have their own customer base that will park at second level exclusively to shop at the store. 

At the other end of the space for a location will be Ardene. The store is no stranger to Winnipeg but this appears to be a larger location which they have been building for the last 10 years. They usually are about 20,000 square feet. It will join a few other stores to capture the female shopper such as the highly sought out Zara, H&M and Forever 21.

While fewer in number, there are stores to serve young men and men. Harry Rosen, Tip Top and more recently Rodd and Gunn. The loss of the The Bay has given an opening for some retailers to serve men.

One local success is Unique Bunny which is highly sought after for its unique offerings. 

The loss of The Bay suddenly opens up space for make-up stores. With that in mind, a new store is almost ready to open called Kiokii. It features health and beauty from Japanese, Korean and Chinese markets.

It will join other cosmetic sellers like Sephora and Mac.

There are a few blanks in the Polo Park mall that still need filling and rumours are all over the place on those. As for the The Bay, the mall has literally used drywall to seal it off.

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.

Polo Park Billion Dollar Development Stalled

It should come as no surprise that Polo Park developer Cadillac Fairview along with Shindico went to great trouble to change the zoning around Polo Park to allow high rises. The airport opposed and was overruled so the go ahead to proceed to the planning phase began. And then nothing.

I suppose they might be forgiven in that other major priorities have them occupied which they are reluctant to say. For Cadillac Fairview, it has been to fill the second floor with the new London Drugs. The former Zellers site as been a frequent site for changes and London Drugs is an anchor worthy of the mall. The next task is to fill the huge empty space left by the closure of the Hudson Bay Company.

For more than a year, Polo Park and St. Vital Centre has girded themselves for what was to come if and when The Bay closed. They both have filled spots in the former Sears locations but it can't be easy to backfill constantly major retailers that have collapsed. Sears Polo Park was a major anchor and it required some innovative thinking to fill the spot. Likewise, St. Vital Centre also needed so do some thinking to fill the spot left by Sears closing. 

Cadillac Fairview would probably like to develop the properties they own where the old arena and stadium stood but is constantly having to work on the mall itself. While it remains the largest mall in the city, it is has lost some luster to Seasons of Tuxedo which continues to see more stores, restaurants, hotel rooms and and housing built. Presumably, all the things Polo Park wants. St. Vital Centre is pressed to expand anywhere. It is as hemmed in as you can get. Once they find something to fill the HBC spot, it will be interesting to see if they look to something different such as build up.

Polo Park's location along Portage Avenue and next to Route 90 could not be more well positioned for growth. Cadillac Fairview probably has another year or so till get their mall in shape. Once London Drugs is in place and The Bay filled in, I expect they will look at building the multi-unit housing that is in the plans. It is all so painfully slow.

As for Shindico, the actual construction of Costco after years waiting for the announcement is sure to trigger more of the development surrounding the big store through 2026. There are already large blocks of apartments and other residential units going up either side of Winnipeg and Headingley. Nearly all land preparation and traffic lights have been put in to support this development. One can imagine though that it is likely not enough. Already, Coscto has triggered Walmart Unicity to conduct a massive hundreds of thousands of dollars upgrade to their store. It is a huge improvement there.

All this development emphasizes the point that hundreds of millions are being spent on areas that have been waiting for years for work. The Costco in Headingley has been in the planning stages since before the pandemic. Now, it appears they are moving with haste on it as well and at the North Main Street location. The Polo Park location will become a Costco Business Centre.

The developer indicated that the new lower immigration rate, tariffs and other factors were contributing to the stall. There may be some clarity on the tariffs soon but it may be difficult to get to where we were in the last years with tens of thousands arriving each year. The truth is that immigration has been lowered because there was no capacity to house new arrivals. And capacity was a problem long before immigration was increased.

The federal accelerator program is now building affordable homes across the country that are shovel ready. This should be helpful as many projects, such as Polo Park, are more market driven and will not be viable for real affordability unless they receive some part of accelerator program money. The list of applicants is long. It is shocking how long projects take to get done. World War II was won in six years but building an apartment in Winnipeg can take a decade.

So much is happening in 2026. Portage Place becoming Pan Am Clinic, the Downtown Bay conversion, the old BMO Portage and Main becoming a museum, two Costco's being built and apartments all over the city. And Kapyong likely to take the next step on development. If Polo Park waits to long, they are likely to be passed by.

Old Robin's on Portage to Become KFC

For the last several years the restaurants west of Moray Street have been closing. First it was the German restaurant Gasthaus Gutenberg around 2016 and then Marigold next at about 2018. The same year Robin's Donuts across the street closed. Pizza Land was the last to close in2024 but has since been replaced by Triple Pizza. However, Pizza Land's iconic sign came down.

From about 2018 to now, there have been quite a few changes from Moray where Singleton's, Assiniboine Credit Union, HUB Insurance all closed. The mall there is full leased now with Winnipeg Insurance, Flamingo Cannabis, Healing Hands Pharmacy and Little Viet restaurant. The parking lot can be quite busy now.

Next door to that Pet 101 and Crystal Clear Water Centre closed in 2024 and has been replaced by Inspire Massage Therapy which refurbished the building. Next to that Gasthaus restaurant was closes and signs went up in 2023 for GotoDoctor,ca and St. George's Medical Centre. The doctor's office are close to being occupied and were delayed due the amount of hazardous material and other work needing to be done.  The karate business and apartments above have remained unchanged as as the leather and repair business across the street. The long time pizza tenant Pizza Land behind it closed in 2023 and was replaced by Triple Pizzeria shortly after.

After Marigold closed around 2018, it was replaced Elite/Elevate which did a fine job up restoring the two floor building into a sports injury and training facility. in 2024, the Birchwood Animal Hospital was spruced up on the outside completing the block. In 2025, once the doctor's offices are fully restored and refurbished, the entire black might be full leased and upgraded. 

The only spot west of Moray on south Portage that has waiting for for development is the former Robin's. It has been empty pretty much from 2018. For a time, Starbucks was planning on taking over but the pandemic pretty much ended the company's plans all over the world. Many Starbucks locations remain shuttered even today, including ones in Chapters bookstores.

There used to be many Robin's Donuts in Winnipeg but now it is down to a handful. The company is embarking on a re-building but from Winnipeg's perspective, it looks like a slow retreat.  The empty Robin's on Portage sitting empty for years has been difficult to ignore.

In recent weeks construction crews have been repairing the road, garbage enclosure and other aspects of the lot. The owner of the property till now seemed unwilling to repair the parking lot as it began to cave in. The only thing that changed on the property is when Conservative election signs went up.

Word has it though that the new tenant of the space will be a Kentucky Fried Chicken. On Portage Avenue, the closest KFC would be the one at Unicity which shares space with Taco Bell. The next would be a KFC in the food court at Polo Park and the next in the West End. It is unclear of the Moray KFC will share with Taco Bell. Undoubtedly, the franchise is attracted to the drive-thru which could be the only one available along Portage in St. James. 

The Portage and Moray has picked up after several years in the doldrums. Continuing west down Portage still has some gaps to fill heading west but the significant building on housing units in Headingley and, of course, the Costco. It is very likely there will be an uptick in business along Portage as well as higher density in housing. And while there is room for retail, the latest additions have been in things like medical and health services and residential. For the commuter though, it is the drive-thru that rules and a KFC near the Charleswood bridge is likely to be popular.