Westmount Mall

infobox shopping mall
shopping_mall_name = Westmount Mall


caption =
location = London, Ontario, Canada
opening_date = 1973
developer= Sifton Properties
manager = Bentall Retail Services
owner =
number_of_stores = 130
number_of_anchors = 4
floor_area =
parking =
floors = 2
website = [http://www.westmountshoppingcentre.com Westmount Shopping Centre]

Westmount Shopping Centre or also referred to as Westmount Mall is a shopping centre located in London, Ontario. It is located at the northwest corner of Wonderland Road and Viscount Road.

History

In the late 1960s, London housing developer Sifton Properties began planning for a massive residential community in the southwest area of the city. The subdivision named "Westmount" was to be the largest planned community in London with over 30,000 residents. It would combine high-density residential apartments with low-density houses and townhomes. Also, recreational facilities including an outdoor pool and parks would be built.

The centerpiece of the community would be a commercial shopping mall. Westmount Mall's first phase opened originally in 1971 with 15 stores including a Dominion and Shoppers Drug Mart.

In 1973, the mall expanded again and became fully enclosed with about 50 additional retailers, with Horizon as the main anchor. With this expansion, Westmount was the largest shopping centre in London, narrowly beating out the recently built White Oaks Mall.

In 1978, Horizon was closed and converted into an Eaton's department store.

Expansion

By the mid 1980s, Westmount lost its title as London's largest mall with the opening of Masonville Place. It was soon after decided that a major reconstruction would take place. The mall would be completely rebuilt as a two storey mall, with underground parking and over 160 retailers. Construction began in 1987 and was finished in 1989. The newly-rebuilt mall featured a Zellers, A&P, food court and enlarged Eaton's store.

In 1998, a six-screen Cineplex Odeon was added to the second floor.

By 1999, Eaton's was closed due to bankruptcy and subsequently converted into a Sears department store.

Downturn

By the early 2000s, however, Westmount's fortunes experienced a slump. The vacancy rate in the mall took a sharp increase as 40 stores slowly left the mall. These factors could be blamed on the construction of big box retailers in the area, in particular along Wonderland Road. The size of the mall (built for upwards of 160 retailers) built in a city that can only support two large malls is another potential reason. Also, Westmount's relatively poor location compared to White Oaks Mall and Masonville Place (both of these malls are located at major intersections and White Oaks Mall is near major highways (401 and 402)).

Future

Bentall Rental submitted redevelopment plans to London City Council in February 2008. These plans included the demolition of an office building at the corner of Wonderland Road and Viscount Road, and the adding of five standalone buildings within the mall parking lot. It is expected that the mall will continue to clear out retailers from its second floor and develop it into office space [http://www.lfpress.com/cgi-bin/publish.cgi?p=223872&s=pets_nature] . A new eleven screen, 1300 seat theater is to be constructed in the mall's northwestern parking lot [http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2008/02/06/4830303.html] and a standalone building will be constructed along Wonderland Road to house the existing TD Bank branch at the corner of Wonderland and Viscount Road. The time frame of these redevelopments is unknown, although initial construction on the new theater and bank began in early July.