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The Centre (Saskatoon)
Encyclopedia
The Centre is a major shopping centre located east of the junction of Circle Drive
and 8th Street in Saskatoon
, Saskatchewan
. It is currently anchored by Zellers
, SportChek, Safeway
, Rainbow Cinemas
, the Centre Cinemas, Petcetera
, Shoppers Drug Mart
and Dollarama
. Until 2002-2003, Canadian Tire
and Wal-Mart
were also part of this mall. They both moved to the big box development of Preston Crossing
. The Centre boasts more than 90 shops and services, 9 fine art galleries in Centre East, and a 2-level temperature controlled underground parkade.
The Centre (originally branded as The Centre at Circle and 8th) was created in 1995 through the amalgamation
of Wildwood Mall (built in 1977) and Circle Park Mall (built in the mid-1980s, but see below), which were separated by Acadia Drive. When both malls were bought by Devan Properties Inc. (now Morguard Corporation), the malls were connected by an underground link under Acadia Drive (after the city rejected a proposal that would have resulted in Acadia being closed to traffic). The two "sides" of the mall are now known as "Centre East" and "Centre West". In 2009, the vacated Zellers location in "Centre West" was demolished, making way for the city's first Best Buy
retail store, which opened in 2010.
, a discount department store, and Dominion
, a grocery store. The closure of Dominion in the 1980s resulted in a series of unsuccessful renovation attempts. A food court was added but sat mostly vacant. The remainder of the former Dominion space was initially occupied by a home video rental business (Jumbo Video, which closed after a couple of years), then after 1992 by Pinder's Drugs (later Shopper's Drug Mart). In 1994, Woolco became Wal-Mart
, around the time discussions regarding amalgamation with Circle Park Mall began in earnest. During the mid-1990s, the Wildwood Mall had a large number of vacancies and came close to dead mall
territory before the two malls were joined. The two movie theatres now situated on the west side of Centre East were built as part of the amalgamation and take up the area previous held by Dominion and the later food court/Pinders sites.
neighbourhood to the south, and for years the Plaza was virtually the only major building in the area. In the mid-1980s, the mall underwent a major expansion and refit which saw the addition of some 60 stores, including a new anchor (Canadian Tire
), a food court, and expanded Zellers and Safeway locations. The revamped building was renamed Circle Park Mall.
Circle Drive
Circle Drive is a major road constructed as a ring road in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The northeastern portion of the road is part of the Yellowhead Highway.-History:...
and 8th Street in Saskatoon
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
. It is currently anchored 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....
, SportChek, Safeway
Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
, Rainbow Cinemas
Rainbow and Magic Lantern Cinemas
Rainbow Cinemas and Magic Lantern Theatres operate movie theatres across Canada. The Rainbow Cinemas chain was founded in the 1990s in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, while the Magic Lantern Theatres chain was founded in 1984 in Edmonton, Alberta...
, the Centre Cinemas, Petcetera
Petcetera
Petcetera is a pet specialty supply retailer founded in Richmond, British Columbia in 1997 by Dan Urbani. It has expanded to 50 stores and 704 employees across Canada....
, 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....
and Dollarama
Dollarama
Dollarama is a chain of over 690 dollar stores across Canada. The company is headquartered in Montreal and, since 2009, is Canada's largest retailer of items for 2 dollars or less. The first Dollarama store was created at the shopping centre "Les promenades du St-Laurent" in Matane...
. Until 2002-2003, Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited is one of Canada's 60 largest publicly traded companies. The firm operates an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retailing hardgoods, apparel and petroleum as well as financial and automotive services, employing more than 58,000 people across Canada...
and 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....
were also part of this mall. They both moved to the big box development of Preston Crossing
Preston Crossing (Saskatoon)
Preston Crossing is a big box shopping area in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located at Preston Avenue North and Circle Drive and was the first major big box shopping area in Saskatoon, other than minor ones like River City Centre.-History:...
. The Centre boasts more than 90 shops and services, 9 fine art galleries in Centre East, and a 2-level temperature controlled underground parkade.
The Centre (originally branded as The Centre at Circle and 8th) was created in 1995 through the amalgamation
Consolidation (business)
Consolidation or amalgamation is the act of merging many things into one. In business, it often refers to the mergers and acquisitions of many smaller companies into much larger ones. In the context of financial accounting, consolidation refers to the aggregation of financial statements of a group...
of Wildwood Mall (built in 1977) and Circle Park Mall (built in the mid-1980s, but see below), which were separated by Acadia Drive. When both malls were bought by Devan Properties Inc. (now Morguard Corporation), the malls were connected by an underground link under Acadia Drive (after the city rejected a proposal that would have resulted in Acadia being closed to traffic). The two "sides" of the mall are now known as "Centre East" and "Centre West". In 2009, the vacated Zellers location in "Centre West" was demolished, making way for the city's first Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
retail store, which opened in 2010.
Wildwood Mall
Opened on April 25, 1977, Wildwood Mall (now Centre East) was only the second proper enclosed mall on the east side of Saskatoon. Its original anchor tenants were WoolcoWoolco
Woolco was an American-based discount retail chain. It was founded in 1962 in the city of Columbus, Ohio, by the F.W. Woolworth Company. It was a full-line discount department store unlike the five-and-dime Woolworth stores which operated at the time. At its peak, Woolco had hundreds of stores in...
, a discount department store, and Dominion
Dominion Stores
Dominion Stores refers to the following supermarket chains in Canada:*Dominion , the former national chain, more recently operating only in the Greater Toronto Area. The remaining locations were rebranded as Metro in 2008....
, a grocery store. The closure of Dominion in the 1980s resulted in a series of unsuccessful renovation attempts. A food court was added but sat mostly vacant. The remainder of the former Dominion space was initially occupied by a home video rental business (Jumbo Video, which closed after a couple of years), then after 1992 by Pinder's Drugs (later Shopper's Drug Mart). In 1994, Woolco became 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....
, around the time discussions regarding amalgamation with Circle Park Mall began in earnest. During the mid-1990s, the Wildwood Mall had a large number of vacancies and came close to dead mall
Dead mall
A dead mall or greyfield is a shopping mall with a high vacancy rate or a low consumer traffic level, or that is dated or deteriorating in some manner. Many malls in the United States are considered "dead" when they have no surviving anchor store or successor that could serve as an entry into or...
territory before the two malls were joined. The two movie theatres now situated on the west side of Centre East were built as part of the amalgamation and take up the area previous held by Dominion and the later food court/Pinders sites.
County Fair Plaza and Circle Park Mall
Centre West was first constructed in the early 1970s as County Fair Plaza. It was not a true shopping mall, but a collection of two major stores (a Zellers and Canada Safeway), along with a few smaller shops including a Pinder's Drug Store (later Shopper's Drug Mart) location. Its construction predated the development of the WildwoodWildwood, Saskatoon
Wildwood is a primarily residential neighbourhood located in the southeast part of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It includes part of the 8th Street business district. The majority of its residents live in townhouse or apartment-style multiple unit dwellings, with a sizeable minority of...
neighbourhood to the south, and for years the Plaza was virtually the only major building in the area. In the mid-1980s, the mall underwent a major expansion and refit which saw the addition of some 60 stores, including a new anchor (Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited is one of Canada's 60 largest publicly traded companies. The firm operates an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retailing hardgoods, apparel and petroleum as well as financial and automotive services, employing more than 58,000 people across Canada...
), a food court, and expanded Zellers and Safeway locations. The revamped building was renamed Circle Park Mall.
External links
- The Centre - official mall web site
- Rainbow Cinemas Centre @ Circle and 8th
- The BigScreen Cinema Guide: The Marquee - Rainbow Cinemas Centre ...
- Centre Cinemas 955-1983
- Rainbow Cinemas 955-8642