Eastgate Square
Encyclopedia
Eastgate Square is an indoor shopping mall
in Stoney Creek
, Hamilton, Ontario
, Canada
. The Mall is bounded by Queenston Road
(South), Centennial Parkway
(East), Delawana Drive (North) and Kenora Avenue (West).
The Mall is managed by Redcliff Realty Management Inc. and offers over 100 stores and services including Wal-Mart
, Sears, Fortinos
, HomeSense
and Shoppers Drug Mart
.
turned its Robinson's location into The Bay
. Wal-Mart
entered the Canadian market in March 1994 by acquiring Woolco, and renaming all stores under the Wal-Mart banner. Eaton's had gone under in 1999, and its space was demolished for a new large Fortinos, relocating from its old store, and opening in 2001.
The 2000s marked a big turning point for the mall. While it always had been successful, many new stores had opened in the mall, and many existing tenants had renovated their stores. HomeSense
had opened a store in the old Fortinos space. In 2006/2007, nearby Queenston Mall had begun to revitalize its site, and the LCBO and Shoppers Drug Mart
had relocated to Eastgate. In 2007, Jack Astor's had opened a restaurant at Eastgate.
Eastgate Square celebrated 35 years in 2008. The mall had undergone a major facelift to its main entrance. The Hamilton Street Railway
had renovated and upgraded its bus terminal on-site. The mall was thriving in success. However, two major blows hit the mall in the coming months. The Bay announced it was closing its Eastgate location, putting many of its employees out of a job. However, very shortly after, Sears had announced it was moving into The Bay's former location from the nearby Centre Mall, which is being torn down and completely redone. The new Sears store opened in September 2008.
Wal-Mart had also announced it was considering leaving as the mall's most busiest tenant, and relocating barely a kilometre from the mall to the corner of Centennial Parkway and the QEW/South Service Road. Wal-Mart Canada had recently opened one of its first Supercentres in Hamilton, proving to be a very successful store. This new Wal-Mart will be a Supercentre as well.
However, Wal-Mart has hit a roadblock with the City of Hamilton, where it is trying to convince the city to rezone the proposed lands to commercial, from industrial. As of September 2008, the decision to rezone the land is still in the hands of city council, and if Wal-Mart does relocate to this new location, it will still be a few years before it leaves Eastgate.
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...
in Stoney Creek
Stoney Creek, Ontario
Stoney Creek is a community in Ontario, Canada.Note: This article will only deal with matters up to its amalgamation with Hamilton.-Geography and population:...
, Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, 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...
. The Mall is bounded by Queenston Road
Queenston Road (Hamilton, Ontario)
Queenston Road is a two-way Lower City arterial road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Also known as Highway 8. It starts off at the Queenston Traffic Circle and travels eastward over the Red Hill Valley Parkway and into Stoney Creek past the Fruitland and Winona communities and into Niagara Region as...
(South), Centennial Parkway
Centennial Parkway (Hamilton, Ontario)
Centennial Parkway, is a Lower City arterial road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It is best known as the western terminus of former King's Highway 20, now maintained by the City of Hamilton...
(East), Delawana Drive (North) and Kenora Avenue (West).
The Mall is managed by Redcliff Realty Management Inc. and offers over 100 stores and services including Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, Sears, Fortinos
Fortinos
Fortinos is a Canadian supermarket chain operating 20 stores in Ontario . It is part of Loblaw Companies Limited.- History :In 1961, immigrant steelworker John Fortino opened his first Fortinos store in Hamilton, Ontario. In 1972, John took on seven partners and opened a second store on Hamilton...
, HomeSense
HomeSense
HomeSense is a chain of off price home furnishing stores operated by TJX Companies with stores in Canada and the United Kingdom.-HomeSense in Canada:At year-end 2010, HomeSense operated 82 stores in Canada...
and Shoppers Drug Mart
Shoppers Drug Mart
Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation is Canada's largest pharmacy chain with more than 1,241 stores operating under the names Shoppers Drug Mart in nine provinces and two territories and Pharmaprix in Quebec as well as in Hawkesbury, Ontario....
.
History
Eastgate Square opened in 1973 with Woolco, Eaton's, and Robinson's as its anchors. In 1989, Fortinos joined the anchors by opening a grocery store there. In 1992, Hudson's Bay CompanyHudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
turned its Robinson's location into 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"...
. Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Canada
Wal-Mart Canada Corp. is the Canadian unit of Walmart and was founded in 1994 in Mississauga, Ontario with the purchase of the Canadian Woolco stores from Woolworth Canada....
entered the Canadian market in March 1994 by acquiring Woolco, and renaming all stores under the Wal-Mart banner. Eaton's had gone under in 1999, and its space was demolished for a new large Fortinos, relocating from its old store, and opening in 2001.
The 2000s marked a big turning point for the mall. While it always had been successful, many new stores had opened in the mall, and many existing tenants had renovated their stores. HomeSense
HomeSense
HomeSense is a chain of off price home furnishing stores operated by TJX Companies with stores in Canada and the United Kingdom.-HomeSense in Canada:At year-end 2010, HomeSense operated 82 stores in Canada...
had opened a store in the old Fortinos space. In 2006/2007, nearby Queenston Mall had begun to revitalize its site, and the LCBO and Shoppers Drug Mart
Shoppers Drug Mart
Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation is Canada's largest pharmacy chain with more than 1,241 stores operating under the names Shoppers Drug Mart in nine provinces and two territories and Pharmaprix in Quebec as well as in Hawkesbury, Ontario....
had relocated to Eastgate. In 2007, Jack Astor's had opened a restaurant at Eastgate.
Eastgate Square celebrated 35 years in 2008. The mall had undergone a major facelift to its main entrance. The Hamilton Street Railway
Hamilton Street Railway
The Hamilton Street Railway Company is the Transit Division of the City of Hamilton, Public Works Department in Ontario, Canada. The name is a legacy of the days when the majority of public transit vehicles were streetcars; the present-day Hamilton Street Railway is in fact a bus operator...
had renovated and upgraded its bus terminal on-site. The mall was thriving in success. However, two major blows hit the mall in the coming months. The Bay announced it was closing its Eastgate location, putting many of its employees out of a job. However, very shortly after, Sears had announced it was moving into The Bay's former location from the nearby Centre Mall, which is being torn down and completely redone. The new Sears store opened in September 2008.
Wal-Mart had also announced it was considering leaving as the mall's most busiest tenant, and relocating barely a kilometre from the mall to the corner of Centennial Parkway and the QEW/South Service Road. Wal-Mart Canada had recently opened one of its first Supercentres in Hamilton, proving to be a very successful store. This new Wal-Mart will be a Supercentre as well.
However, Wal-Mart has hit a roadblock with the City of Hamilton, where it is trying to convince the city to rezone the proposed lands to commercial, from industrial. As of September 2008, the decision to rezone the land is still in the hands of city council, and if Wal-Mart does relocate to this new location, it will still be a few years before it leaves Eastgate.