Hillcrest Mall

For Hillcrest Professional Plaza, previously known as Hillcrest Mall, see Shopping malls in New Jersey.

Hillcrest Mall

File:HillcrestMallTheBay.JPG The Bay Fashion Store, located centrally in Hillcrest Mall, is one of the mall's anchor stores
Location	Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
Opening date	8 August 1974
Developer	Cadillac Fairview
Management	Oxford Properties
No. of stores and services	135
No. of anchor tenants	3
Total retail floor area	585,758 square feet (54,419 m2)
No. of floors	1

Hillcrest Mall, or Hillcrest, is a 585,758 square feet (54,419 m²) enclosed shopping centre located in the town of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, on the northwest corner of Yonge Street and Carrville Road. It has 135 shops, services, and restaurants.

History

Hillcrest Mall was built and managed by Cadillac Fairview. It opened on August 8, 1974 with four anchor stores Simpsons (now The Bay fashion store), Kmart (subsequently Zellers, now Target), Sears (now The Bay men's store and home furnishings), and a supermarket. It had 100 stores at its grand opening, during which the first 1,000 patrons received a rose, a symbolic gesture reflecting Richmond Hill's past status as the rose growing capital of Canada.

A five auditorium movie theatre operated by Cineplex Odeon Corporation opened in October 1980, with a total seating capacity of 519; this space is now a GoodLife Fitness.

The mall underwent extensive renovations in 2000. In late 2002, construction of a separate building in the northeast corner of the mall's parking lot was completed; it was the site of the second Krispy Kreme franchise in Canada until 2005. It is now a Panera Bread. In 2006, a farmers' market was established on the premises, operating from the mall's parking lot two days a week.

Hillcrest Mall was purchased by Oxford Properties in April 2011.

In 2013, an application was made to Richmond Hill Town Council to exempt the mall from the Retail Business Holidays Act so that it may open on six public holidays: New Year's Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, and Thanksgiving.

Zellers opened in the mall in 1998, acquiring the anchor retail space when its parent company Hudson's Bay Company purchased the assets of Kmart Canada in May 1998. In 2011, HBC sold the leases of most of its Zellers stores to Target Corporation; the mall's Zellers closed in Spring 2013 with Target taking over the anchor space and reopening in its place on November 13, 2013. In January 2015, Target announced the liquidation of all its Canadian stores and closed mid-2015. As of December 2015, the former Zellers/Target anchor space remains vacant.

On September 12, 2015, The Bay celebrated the grand opening of its expanded anchor space in the centre of the mall. Previously The Bay operated two separate units in the shopping centre; "Fashion Store" for Women's apparel and cosmetics, and "Men's Store and Home" for men's and children's apparel, furniture, and housewares. Menswear was sold alongside women's apparel in the "Fashion Store" until the late 2000s, then men's apparel was moved to the "Home" location as The Bay decided to increase the space for women's apparel/cosmetics while cutting down on furniture and appliances.[1] The former The Bay "Men's Store and Home" is being demolished and reconstructed into a Sporting Life with an expected opening date of Spring 2016.

Anchor stores

Target at Hillcrest, closed in 2015.

Some major anchors include:

• Hudson's Bay
• Sport Chek
• The Bay Fashion Store & Men's Store and Home
• Sporting Life (opening Spring 2016)

The York Regional Police Community Resource Centre is located in the mall.

Former:

• Zellers - Opened in 1998; liquidated and closed in Spring 2013. Replaced by Target.
• Target - Opened in 2013, liquidated and closed in mid-2015.
• The Bay Men's Store and Home (old location) - closed in 2015, will be replaced by Sporting Life

External links

• Hillcrest Mall