New locations and bigger spaces are being opened in Mayfair Centre now that its $72-million expansion is nearing completion.
Sport Chek, Saje Natural Wellness and a larger Aritzia fashion store are first to open.
They will be followed by new stores for Olsen Europe, MAC Cosmetics and Ann-Louise Jewellers, plus Indigo, which is replacing the Chapters bookstore in downtown Victoria.
The construction program was announced in 2016. It includes two new levels of rooftop parking to create a total of 2,030 parking stalls at the centre. Drivers can access parking by entering a new entrance ramp off Finlayson Street.
On Oct. 1, Mayfair is opening a new space called Connect, featuring local artists, designers, artisans and vendors. It is a collective organized by local design house Studio Robazzo.
The project includes new elevators to the parkade and a new escalator. Around the exterior of the building, there will be new street lights, landscaping and a lay-by entrance on Douglas Street.
Mayfair is growing by 100,000 square feet of new retail space, creating a total of 520,000 square feet of retail. It is owned by Ivanhoe Cambridge, which said Mayfair receives four million visitors annually.
When the shopping centre opened in 1963, it had just 26 stores. Major shopping centres periodically undergo massive renovations and expansions to remain competitive.
Hillside Shopping Centre went through an $80-million expansion and upgrading, finishing in 2014, which created a total of 590,000 square feet.
Victoria’s downtown Bay Centre announced $2 million in upgrading this year.
