Conestoga Mall
Encyclopedia
Conestoga Mall is a major shopping mall
situated at 550 King Street North
in Waterloo
, Ontario
, Canada
. Located at King Street's interchange with Highway 85 (Conestoga Parkway)
, it is the largest shopping centre in Waterloo, and third-largest in Waterloo Region
. The mall is owned and operated by the shopping centre development company Ivanhoe Cambridge
, which is a principal real estate subsidiary of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
.
Current anchor tenants include The Bay
, Zellers
, Zehrs, Galaxy Cinemas
, Winners, SportChek, and Old Navy
. The mall, built in 1978, was one of the only buildings on this section of King Street. Since it opened, the mall has expanded several times, and has contributed to the retail success of this area. Several big box retailers, including Future Shop
, The Home Depot
, a large LCBO, and a BMW
dealership have opened on King Street North
around the mall.
The mall is also one of Grand River Transit's
main transportation terminals in Waterloo Region.
store (completed second), and a rebuilt Bay
store and expansion of the south parking lot (completed third).
When finally completed, the mall hopes to add 40 high quality, brand name retailers. Two high-end restaurants with patios will open by the main entrance when done. Overall, this much anticipated project will strengthen Conestoga Mall's appeal in the Waterloo Region market.
In addition to renovating and expanding the mall itself, the redevelopment will also include significant traffic improvements to the King Street entrance of the mall. The intersection of Conestogo Road and Kraus Drive has been replaced with a roundabout as per the City of Waterloo's request. There has also been the addition of a second entrance to King Street in the form of a right in-right out
intersection. The traffic upgrades will be paid for by Ivanhoe Cambridge
as a condition of the City of Waterloo issuing a building permit for the expansion of the shopping centre.
cosmetics to serve Waterloo's growing affluence.
The space left vacated by the old Bay store is planned to be converted into new stores for the fall of 2009.
Museum. The City of Waterloo Museum will be located between the new Bay store and food court entrance.
, which operates the Zehrs chain of grocery stores, formerly owned a large parcel of land to the southwest of Conestoga Mall. Despite much controversy with local citizens and the City of Waterloo itself, Loblaw planned on closing the Conestoga Mall Zehrs and replacing it with a much larger 175,000± square foot Real Canadian Superstore
. The decision was to have been appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board
, as the City of Waterloo was reluctant to approve the application for various reasons, the main being the land having to be rezoned to major commercial from industrial.
In September 2008, Loblaw unexpectedly sold their land holding to Intelligent Mechatronics Systems, a high tech company for $14.5 million dollars. As of May 2009, this tech firm has completed renovations to the existing building on the site, and relocated their operations to this property. IMS plans to employ as many as 160 within the upcoming years. Meanwhile, the Conestoga Mall Zehrs remains open.
grocery store to the east. Robinsons went bankrupt in the early 1990s and The Bay
has opened in its place. K-Mart discontinued its operations in Canada
and has since been taken over by Zellers
. The Dominion location was converted to a Zehrs in the 1980s, and Zehrs later relocated to a new and larger location in the mall. In the previous grocery store space, Winners, Sport Chek
, and other retailers opened in 1999.
(GRT), with all of the routes that it serves terminating here.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
situated at 550 King Street North
King Street, Kitchener, Ontario
Waterloo Regional Road 15, or King Street is the major north-south arterial road in Kitchener, Ontario, as well as Waterloo, Ontario. In both Kitchener and Waterloo, King Street divides the city into the east and west sides...
in Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Located at King Street's interchange with Highway 85 (Conestoga Parkway)
Conestoga Parkway
The Conestoga Parkway is a freeway in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, in the Canadian province of Ontario. It runs northeast/southwest through the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, and is connected to Highway 401 via the Highway 8 Freeport Diversion and King Street East.- Route...
, it is the largest shopping centre in Waterloo, and third-largest in Waterloo Region
Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario
The Regional Municipality of Waterloo is a regional municipality located in Southern Ontario, Canada. It consists of the cities of Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo, and the townships of Wellesley, Woolwich, Wilmot, and North Dumfries. It is often referred to as the Region of Waterloo or just...
. The mall is owned and operated by the shopping centre development company Ivanhoe Cambridge
Ivanhoe Cambridge
Ivanhoe Cambridge is a property management and development company that formed from the merger of two former companies, Ivanhoe and Cambridge, in 2001.-Ivanhoe Corporation:...
, which is a principal real estate subsidiary of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec manages public pension plans in the Canadian province of Quebec. It was founded in 1965 by an act of the National Assembly...
.
Current anchor tenants include The Bay
The Bay
The Bay is a chain of 91 department stores that operate across parts of Canada. It is the main brand of Hudson's Bay Company , North America's oldest company. It has its headquarters in the Simpson Tower in Toronto. In French, the chain is known as la Baie, short for "Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson"...
, Zellers
Zellers
Zellers Inc. is Canada's second-largest chain of mass merchandise discount stores, with locations in communities across Canada. A subsidiary of the Hudson's Bay Company , it has 273 locations across the country....
, Zehrs, Galaxy Cinemas
Cineplex Entertainment
Cineplex Entertainment LP , is the largest film exhibitor in Canada and owns, leases or has a joint-venture interest in 130 theatres with 1,351 screens. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Cineplex operates theatres from British Columbia to Quebec...
, Winners, SportChek, and Old Navy
Old Navy
Old Navy is an American clothing brand as well as a chain of stores owned by Gap, Inc., with corporate operations in San Francisco and San Bruno, California. It is one of the first major corporations to house headquarters in the new Mission Bay district of San Francisco.Gap, Inc. was run by...
. The mall, built in 1978, was one of the only buildings on this section of King Street. Since it opened, the mall has expanded several times, and has contributed to the retail success of this area. Several big box retailers, including Future Shop
Future Shop
Future Shop is Canada's largest consumer electronics retailer. Future Shop currently operates a total of 146 stores across all of Canada's provinces as of December 2008....
, The Home Depot
The Home Depot
The Home Depot is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services.The Home Depot operates 2,248 big-box format stores across the United States , Canada , Mexico and China, with a 12-store chain...
, a large LCBO, and a BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
dealership have opened on King Street North
King Street, Kitchener, Ontario
Waterloo Regional Road 15, or King Street is the major north-south arterial road in Kitchener, Ontario, as well as Waterloo, Ontario. In both Kitchener and Waterloo, King Street divides the city into the east and west sides...
around the mall.
The mall is also one of Grand River Transit's
Grand River Transit
Grand River Transit, or GRT, is the public transport operator for the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It operates daily bus services in the region, primarily in the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge....
main transportation terminals in Waterloo Region.
Redevelopment
Conestoga Mall is currently undergoing a major $75 million redevelopment project. The project began in mid 2006, and is scheduled to be completed in spring 2010. Details of the project include a 130000 square feet (12,077.4 m²) expansion on the south end of the property (recently completed); a renovation and upgrade to the existing building (currently under construction); a new, large 700 seat food court with a new south end mall entrance (currently under construction); and a pedestrian friendly façade. Major components of the redevelopment that have been completed to date include a new free standing CIBC building (completed first), a new Old NavyOld Navy
Old Navy is an American clothing brand as well as a chain of stores owned by Gap, Inc., with corporate operations in San Francisco and San Bruno, California. It is one of the first major corporations to house headquarters in the new Mission Bay district of San Francisco.Gap, Inc. was run by...
store (completed second), and a rebuilt Bay
The Bay
The Bay is a chain of 91 department stores that operate across parts of Canada. It is the main brand of Hudson's Bay Company , North America's oldest company. It has its headquarters in the Simpson Tower in Toronto. In French, the chain is known as la Baie, short for "Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson"...
store and expansion of the south parking lot (completed third).
When finally completed, the mall hopes to add 40 high quality, brand name retailers. Two high-end restaurants with patios will open by the main entrance when done. Overall, this much anticipated project will strengthen Conestoga Mall's appeal in the Waterloo Region market.
In addition to renovating and expanding the mall itself, the redevelopment will also include significant traffic improvements to the King Street entrance of the mall. The intersection of Conestogo Road and Kraus Drive has been replaced with a roundabout as per the City of Waterloo's request. There has also been the addition of a second entrance to King Street in the form of a right in-right out
Right-in/right-out
Right-in/right-out and left-in/left-out refer to a type of road intersection where turning movements of vehicles are restricted. A RIRO permits only right turns and a LILO permits only left turns. RIRO is usual where vehicles drive on the right, and LILO is usual where vehicles drive on the left...
intersection. The traffic upgrades will be paid for by Ivanhoe Cambridge
Ivanhoe Cambridge
Ivanhoe Cambridge is a property management and development company that formed from the merger of two former companies, Ivanhoe and Cambridge, in 2001.-Ivanhoe Corporation:...
as a condition of the City of Waterloo issuing a building permit for the expansion of the shopping centre.
The Bay
The Bay has moved slightly to the south and was completely rebuilt into a larger store. The new prototype Bay at Conestoga Mall is the first "green" store in the company's portfolio - complete with environmentally conscious measures such as solar panels, wind turbines, recycled carpet, and waterless urinals. The company has also introduced higher end products such as ChanelChanel
Chanel S.A. is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods . She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France...
cosmetics to serve Waterloo's growing affluence.
The space left vacated by the old Bay store is planned to be converted into new stores for the fall of 2009.
City of Waterloo Museum
Conestoga Mall has donated 4000 square feet (371.6 m²) in the new expansion to the City of Waterloo to establish a permanent museum for the City's heritage artifacts. Over 10,000 of the City's historical artifacts will be displayed in the City of Waterloo Museum. Waterloo's heritage collection has been mainly in storage over the past decade, with most of these artifacts coming from the closure of the SeagramSeagram
The Seagram Company Ltd. was a large corporation headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that was the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world. Toward the end of its independent existence it also controlled various entertainment and other business ventures...
Museum. The City of Waterloo Museum will be located between the new Bay store and food court entrance.
Environmental Commitment
Conestoga Mall is recognized as one of the most environmentally conscious malls in Waterloo Region. Foremost, the mall supports green electricity, purchasing 30% of its common area electricity requirements from Bullfrog Power http://www.ivanhoecambridge.com/pdf/nr_02_05_07.pdf. Other environmental measures include using washable cloth towels in the mall washrooms, having many recycling facilities placed throughout the mall, and not using pesticides on the property grounds.Loblaw Superstore Controversy
Loblaw CompaniesLoblaw Companies
Loblaw Companies Limited is the largest food retailer in Canada, with over 1,400 supermarkets operating under a variety of regional banners, including the namesake Loblaws. LCL is headquartered in Brampton, Ontario...
, which operates the Zehrs chain of grocery stores, formerly owned a large parcel of land to the southwest of Conestoga Mall. Despite much controversy with local citizens and the City of Waterloo itself, Loblaw planned on closing the Conestoga Mall Zehrs and replacing it with a much larger 175,000± square foot Real Canadian Superstore
Real Canadian Superstore
Real Canadian Superstore is a chain of hypermarkets owned by Canadian food retailing giant Loblaw Companies. Its name is often shortened to RCSS or Superstore....
. The decision was to have been appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board
Ontario Municipal Board
The Ontario Municipal Board is an independent administrative board, operated as an adjudicative tribunal, in the province of Ontario, Canada...
, as the City of Waterloo was reluctant to approve the application for various reasons, the main being the land having to be rezoned to major commercial from industrial.
In September 2008, Loblaw unexpectedly sold their land holding to Intelligent Mechatronics Systems, a high tech company for $14.5 million dollars. As of May 2009, this tech firm has completed renovations to the existing building on the site, and relocated their operations to this property. IMS plans to employ as many as 160 within the upcoming years. Meanwhile, the Conestoga Mall Zehrs remains open.
Previous Anchors
When Conestoga Mall first opened in 1978, it housed just three anchors: a Robinsons to the south, a K-Mart to the north, and a small DominionDominion Stores (Ontario)
Dominion Stores was once a national chain of supermarkets in Canada, which was still known as the Dominion of Canada at the time of the company's founding. The chain was founded in 1919 in Ontario and was later acquired by Conrad Black's Argus Corporation...
grocery store to the east. Robinsons went bankrupt in the early 1990s and The Bay
The Bay
The Bay is a chain of 91 department stores that operate across parts of Canada. It is the main brand of Hudson's Bay Company , North America's oldest company. It has its headquarters in the Simpson Tower in Toronto. In French, the chain is known as la Baie, short for "Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson"...
has opened in its place. K-Mart discontinued its operations in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and has since been taken over by Zellers
Zellers
Zellers Inc. is Canada's second-largest chain of mass merchandise discount stores, with locations in communities across Canada. A subsidiary of the Hudson's Bay Company , it has 273 locations across the country....
. The Dominion location was converted to a Zehrs in the 1980s, and Zehrs later relocated to a new and larger location in the mall. In the previous grocery store space, Winners, Sport Chek
Sport Chek
Sport Chek is the largest Canadian retailers of sporting clothing, sports equipment and equipment destroy, with stores across Canada...
, and other retailers opened in 1999.
Anchors
- The BayThe BayThe Bay is a chain of 91 department stores that operate across parts of Canada. It is the main brand of Hudson's Bay Company , North America's oldest company. It has its headquarters in the Simpson Tower in Toronto. In French, the chain is known as la Baie, short for "Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson"...
(130,580 sq ft.) - ZellersZellersZellers Inc. is Canada's second-largest chain of mass merchandise discount stores, with locations in communities across Canada. A subsidiary of the Hudson's Bay Company , it has 273 locations across the country....
(95,084 sq ft.) - Zehrs (75,000 sq ft.)
- Galaxy CinemasCineplex EntertainmentCineplex Entertainment LP , is the largest film exhibitor in Canada and owns, leases or has a joint-venture interest in 130 theatres with 1,351 screens. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Cineplex operates theatres from British Columbia to Quebec...
(40,123 sq ft., satellite building) - Winners (26,116 sq ft.)
- Sport ChekSport ChekSport Chek is the largest Canadian retailers of sporting clothing, sports equipment and equipment destroy, with stores across Canada...
(20,911 sq ft.) - Old NavyOld NavyOld Navy is an American clothing brand as well as a chain of stores owned by Gap, Inc., with corporate operations in San Francisco and San Bruno, California. It is one of the first major corporations to house headquarters in the new Mission Bay district of San Francisco.Gap, Inc. was run by...
(19,011 sq ft.) - H&MH&MH & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
(15,252 sq ft.)
Transit terminal
The terminal is located beside the King Street main mall entrance, by the Old Navy store. This facility operates as a major hub for Grand River TransitGrand River Transit
Grand River Transit, or GRT, is the public transport operator for the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It operates daily bus services in the region, primarily in the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge....
(GRT), with all of the routes that it serves terminating here.
GRT bus service
- iXpressIXpressiXpress is a bus rapid transit service in Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, operated by Grand River Transit. As of September 2011, it consists of two routes, one serving the main thoroughfare between Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge, and the other linking south Kitchener with Wilfrid Laurier...
to Ainslie St. Transit TerminalAinslie St. Transit TerminalAinslie St. Transit Terminal is the main hub for local Grand River Transit bus services in Cambridge, Ontario. It was built as a replacement for the Mill Street Terminal, in response to a 1988 report, commissioned by the city, which concluded that the existing facilities were totally inadequate and... - Route 7 Mainline to DowntownCharles St. Transit TerminalThe Charles St. Transit Terminal at 15 Charles Street West in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada is the main bus station and downtown hub for local Grand River Transit bus services for Kitchener and Waterloo...
/Fairview Park Mall - Route 9 Lakeshore
- Route 12 Fairview Park Mall
- Route 14 Bathurst (Waterloo industrial area)
- Route 21 Elmira, to the towns of St. JacobsSt. Jacobs, OntarioThe community of St. Jacobs is located in southwest Ontario, just north of Waterloo in Woolwich Township, Waterloo Region. It is a popular location for tourism, due to its Mennonite heritage and retail focus. The Conestogo River, which powered the village's original gristmill, runs through the...
and ElmiraElmira, OntarioThe town of Elmira in Ontario, Canada is the largest community within the Township of Woolwich in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is located 15 km to the north of the city of Waterloo.-History:... - Route 31 Lexington
- Route 32 Kumpf
- Route 35 Eastbridge