THE BEGINNING - 1970
Fairview Mall was built in 1970 with The Bay and Simpson’s as its department store anchors, and at the time was the fourth fully-enclosed, as well as the first multi level shopping centre in Metropolitan Toronto. The Hudson Bay Company, parent company of the Bay, purchased Simpson’s in 1978. The centre originally opened with a Cineplex Cinema theatre near Sears which was later relocated close to the former Loblaws in the 1988 expansion.
From September 1986 to 1997 The Cadillac Fairview Corporation co-owned Fairview Mall with Markborough Properties. Cambridge Shopping Centres Limited (now known as Ivanhoe Cambridge) acquired Markborough Properties Limited in June 1997 and subsequently a 50/50 joint venture between Cadillac Fairview and Ivanhoe Cambridge was formed at Fairview.
RENOVATIONS BEGIN
The first renovation took place in 1988 when the centre was expanded by 200,000/sq.ft. and the store count was increased to over 250 stores at a cost of $90 million.
In 1991 The Hudson Bay Company sold its Simpson’s store at Fairview Mall to Sears Canada along with five other Simpson’s stores which eventually were converted to Sears stores.
In the early 2000’s a major portion of the shopping centre’s parking lot was redeveloped into a large bus terminal to connect the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC”s) Don Mills new subway station and the southern terminus of York Region Viva Green transit line.
REDEVELOPMENT - 2008
In late 2008 Fairview Mall completed another $90 million multi phase full renovation and redevelopment project which began in July 2006. The redevelopment phases included an expanded Shoppers Drug Mart and a large format Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) store. The Food Court, a key highlight of the renovations, was moved to the lower level under a 60 foot high skylight near The Bay and renamed our Food Garden due to the abundance of lush planters and natural sunlight. All entrances to the mall were updated to incorporate hands-free technology and the common areas inside the centre were transformed with greater open spaces and stylish wood finishes.
The front façade along Sheppard has received a full face lift with multiple restaurant patios now catering to our large lunch and dining crowd creating a “new dining experience” with the likes of Moxies, Spring Rolls, St Louis Bar & Grill, z-teca Gourmet Burritos, Jugo Juice and Michel’s Bagette.
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FAIRVIEW MALL - TODAY
Today Fairview and its 175 stores serve 15,000,000 customers in the greater Toronto (GTA) with a popular store merchandise mix that includes the likes of Apple, Hollister, Zara, Sephora, B2, Bath & Body Works, BCBG, Forever 21, Sport Chek, Shoppers Drug Mart, SilverCity Cinemas, Guess Accessories, Urban Planet, H&M, Tommy, The Gap, Bench, Aeropostale, American Eagle and many others.
PHILANTHROPIC FUN!
Through the year Fairview has been involved in several philanthropic causes including the Heels to Heal walk-a-thon to benefit cancers below the waist. On Sunday, May 2nd participants and their families and friends enjoyed a wonderful morning of food, fun, music and prizes as they walked in their stilettos inside Fairview Mall! Over $22,000 was raised and donated to North York General Hospital to purchase a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine which is used in the diagnosis of familial forms of breast cancer, ovarian and colon cancer.
Celebrating 40 Years in Style
On Thursday, August 5, 2010 Fairview turned 40 years young. As part of the anniversary Fairview wanted to celebrate 40 years of individuality and designed a campaign around this theme titled Patent Your Style. The campaign ran from Monday, August 23rd until October 1st. Shoppers at Fairview could patent their personal style and be entered to win a grand prize of $4000 in Cadillac Fairview shop! card® gift cards. “Fairview has a great assortment of accessible fashion brands and the people shopping here feel like they can wear them their own way. We wanted to celebrate this by allowing our shoppers to patent their unique styles,” said Melody Fallis, Fairview’s Senior Marketing Director.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Be sure to visit www.fairviewmall.ca to see what we’re doing to continue to celebrate this ever-changing complex that has served Toronto and the surrounding area for the last four decades. This year, Fairview has reason to celebrate - 40 years of individuality - and will continue to bring its shoppers influential retailers and a best in class shopping experience.
DID YOU KNOW…
· Avril Lavigne performed at Fairview in 2004.
· Fairview diverts over 75% of its waste from landfills.
· Fairview is open until 8:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
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