15°c Overcast
21°c Cloudy with showers
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Mall makeover a thing of beauty
St. Vital spruces up after 14 years
St. Vital Centre GM Cheryl Mazur says reno will include flooring, lighting and furniture throughout the mall, as well as a couple of new skylights. (BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ) Photo Store
ONE of the city's biggest and busiest regional shopping centres is getting a $10-million facelift.
St. Vital Centre, which at just under one million square feet is second in size only to Polo Park Shopping Centre, will undergo extensive renovations to its common areas over the next eight to nine months.
The overhaul will include installation of new wood-like ceramic flooring, new ceilings, energy-efficient lighting, wall coverings in some areas, including the food court, and installation of skylights in two wings of the mall that don't have them.
"(The renovation project) has been a little bit slow in starting," mall general manager Cheryl Mazur said Wednesday, noting the mall's owners had originally hoped to start a couple of years ago. "But it will be getting pretty crazy around here over the next little while."
Mazur said the shopping centre, at St. Mary's Road and Bishop Grandin Boulevard, will stay open throughout the renovation.
She said most of the work will be done at night to minimize disruption for tenants and customers.
Workers have already started dismantling the ceiling in parts of the concourse. And samples of the new flooring have been installed in a section of the wing leading to The Bay store.
Mazur said work will begin in earnest next week as crews begin removing tile floors and laying down the new flooring.
The goal is to have everything done by November, when Christmas shopping gets into full swing.
It's been 14 years since St. Vital Centre's last major facelift. Among other things, those renovations included adding skylights in the centre court and on some of the wings in the mall, as well as a large food court at the south end, complete with open fireplaces.
Although the food court will be getting new flooring, some new lighting, some new walls and some new seating, "the fireplaces are staying," Mazur said. "We'll never take those away."
She said the renovations have nothing to do with the fact a new shopping centre --IKEA/Seasons of Tuxedo development -- is under construction near the northern end of Bishop Grandin.
"I've been here five years and when I first got here it (another facelift) was already on the radar screen. When you've got a good asset, you always want it to look its best and keep it looking fresh." Also, "you've got to keep up with your neighbours," she said in reference to some of the other regional shopping malls that have undergone renovations.
St. Vital Centre is owned by the Ontario Pension Board and is managed by 20 Vic Management Inc.
murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 22, 2012 B3
More Business
- Back to Top
- Return to Business
More Business
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
UN expert says Japan government, nuclear plant operator evading responsibility for disaster
2:34 AM 0TOKYO - A United Nations expert who investigated the aftermath of Japan's 2011 nuclear power plant disaster says the government ...
Poll
Most Popular Business
- Demonstrators rally against Monsanto in global anti-GMO protest
- Balancing today with tomorrow
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- Federal government looks to snag corporate sponsors for Ottawa events
- Differing dollars
- New owner for lumber stores
- Netflix eyes subscriber boost
- Latest round in meat war hits the streets
- Value Partners cracks $1-B mark in assets
- Creative industries can fuel a city's economic engine
- New owner for lumber stores
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- 2 men arrested in killing of Las Vegas teen who refused to give up his iPad
- New downtown tower could be 42 storeys tall: developers
- Creative industries can fuel a city's economic engine
- Microsoft reveals Xbox One as all-in-1 entertainment console, last of 3 major systems unveiled
- Value Partners cracks $1-B mark in assets
- Skyline-altering project will happen: developer
- Housing slowdown to worsen, cost 150,000 jobs, says mortgage group
- Changes to CPP rules worth looking into
- Target opens its first Manitoba stores Tuesday
- New structure to be king of downtown?
- Transcona transformation
- Target opens Manitoba stores
- New owner for lumber stores
- Mounties say crooks passing fake polymer bank notes in British Columbia
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- City to get a touch of glass
- Canad Inns property has personal meaning for owner
- Holiday pump jump debated
- New owner for lumber stores
- Thorough record-keeping key to power of attorney
- Japanese investor on board with Manitoba's HyLife
- Career change seeds
- Value Partners cracks $1-B mark in assets
- Changes to CPP rules worth looking into
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- Trust me
- Sideways move may be right way up
- New RBC policy restricts outsourcing
- New owner for lumber stores
- Value Partners cracks $1-B mark in assets
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- Changes to CPP rules worth looking into
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Ex-'Pegger seeks to grow local businesses
- Skyline-altering project will happen: developer
- Bridging the gap
- There are lots of I's in 'team'
- More than a new boss
- New owner for lumber stores
- Transcona transformation
- New structure to be king of downtown?
- CEO, execs terminated at TCIG
- Target opens its first Manitoba stores Tuesday
- Canad Inns property has personal meaning for owner
- Winnipeg's got the REIT stuff
- Value Partners cracks $1-B mark in assets
- Older and jobless? Resource on hand
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.