The Bay Centre is starting a $2-million upgrading to spruce up the downtown shopping centre, but is not naming its new anchor tenant yet.
The anchor will be taking up 20,000 square feet in a two-level space at the corner of Douglas and View streets, Darlene Hollstein, the Bay Centre’s general manager, said Tuesday.
The space being prepared is located at street level and on the level below, she said.
Social media postings show blueprints indicating the new tenant will be Winners, a clothing and home accessories chain, but Hollstein is not discussing the name.
A spokeswoman for Winners said in an email from Mississauga, Ont., on Tuesday: “At this time, we don’t have any information regarding a possible location at the Bay Centre to share.”
Winners is part of TJX Companies Ltd., which describes itself as “the leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the U.S. and worldwide. The parent company is based in Framingham, Massachusetts, and it trades on the New York Stock Exchange.
TJX has 4,052 stores in nine countries. Some of its other brands include Marshalls and Homesense, which both have a presence in the region.
There is a Winners at Tillicum Shopping Centre in Saanich and another at Westshore Town Centre in Langford.
The Bay Centre began improvements to its common areas in October 2017, and Hollstein expects work will be finished this fall. The new tenant will begin its own improvements early next year, with plans to open in spring 2019.
“Our goal is to become a shoppers’ first destination by welcoming new tenants, events and partners as we embrace the overall growth of downtown,” Hollstein said, pointing to a rising downtown population due to condominium projects such as the Escher, Era, Janion, and the Hudson District.
Improvements underway in the Bay Centre include new entrance doors, interior and exterior lighting and new signs, adding up to about $2 million, Hollstein said.
The new retailer will use ground-floor space vacated by Laura and Guess. Other stores, including Ardene and Bentley, will be relocated, she said.
It is common for improvements and expansions to shopping centres to be announced before consumers are informed which retailer is moving in. Retailers typically make their own announcements.
Competition is fierce among shopping centres keen to stand out in the constantly changing retail market.
Mayfair Shopping Centre is in the midst of a $72-million expansion and upgrading, slated to be finished this fall.
Mayfair is not announcing new stores — it is up to retailers to make announcements. Those retailers are expected to start getting access to their spaces in April. Builders have created 100,000 square feet of new retail space to bring the total to 544,000 square feet.
On the West Shore, Belmont Market on the former Belmont High School site in Langford, will see 192,000 square feet of commercial space developed, including a Thrifty Foods of 52,700 square feet. The ground-breaking for the 24-acre Belmont Residences takes place on Thursday morning.
Ledcor Property Development is planning to build 440 housing units in seven residential market and rental buildings.
Retail watchers are eyeing Hillside Shopping Centre to find out what will happen in the space once filled with Sears. Sears’ final day was Jan. 8, after starting its close-out sale in October. Sears Canada filed for creditor protection in June.
