St. Vital Centre shuffles space for yet-unnamed new tenant By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 5:44 PM CDT Monday, Sep. 22, 2025 Last Modified: 11:26 AM CDT Tuesday, Sep. 23, 2025 Updates

There are no signs publicizing a new arrival. Rather, closure notices decorate a couple of shops.

For Cassiopeia, the announcement comes in white block letters. For Daring Diva Purses, ‘store closing’ is written in pink.

The two retailers are among at least four shops either moving within St. Vital Centre or leaving the south Winnipeg mall to make room for a new, large tenant. An already-empty space joins the strip.

Mall management wouldn’t share details on upcoming plans. Uniqlo Co., Ltd., a Japanese clothing company, is rumoured to be setting up shop.

Neither St. Vital Centre nor Uniqlo confirmed this by print deadline Monday.

“Since the Bay shut down in this corner, the traffic flow has been quite a lot less,” said August Ziprick, an employee at Diva Lingerie & Swimwear.

Her workplace stands between the now-closed Hudson’s Bay department store and the row of shops exiting the hall. The Bay, an anchor retailer, shuttered in the spring when the chain declared bankruptcy.

“We’re hoping (a new company) will drive more business to the mall and towards this end,” Ziprick said.

“We’re hoping (a new company) will drive more business to the mall and towards this end.”

Dustin Holm is preparing to move That’s Cool, his collectibles store, to another corner of the shopping centre later this year. He’s pegged his closure date as Oct. 15.

“It’s not convenient, but I will say the mall has been fantastic with us,” Holm said, adding he’s in the midst of claiming a new spot.

His neighbours — Cassiopeia, Daring Diva Purses and Teekca’s Boutique — are also slated to close their current locations by October’s end.

Cassiopeia will not reopen within the mall, said employee Bani Arora. She added she’s “sad” to see her employer of nearly five years leave the south Winnipeg retail hub.

Meantime, construction is happening elsewhere in St. Vital Centre.

Venetian Nail Spa is more than doubling its floor space, in part, to host private events. The 4,000-square-foot salon may open in January.

It first entered in the mall in 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Signing a lease for 1,500 sq. ft. was a “risk,” recalled Hung Chau, Venetian Nail Spa’s director of operations and business development.

“The store did exceptionally well,” Chau said. “We thought we could do so much more in a larger space.”

Venetian Nail Spa began seeking a bigger location after seven months in St. Vital. It took more than two years to reach the current construction phase, Chau said — tenants needed to move, among other things.

The new site will have four private rooms with eight pedicure chairs each. A cocktail bar, spa services like brow lamination and a capacity of 65 customers is incoming, Chau said.

Venetian Nail Spa’s initial space, in a different portion of the mall, holds 26 guests and 14 pedicure chairs in a row.

Chau plans to offer private bookings in the new facility.

“We feel it’s a great time to expand in the centre,” he said. “We hope that with new tenancy that’s coming into the centre, it’ll play a big role in increasing our foot traffic.”

He expects to hire at least 15 new staff, adding to the St. Vital location’s 25 employees. A Venetian Nail Spa in Kildonan Place counts another 25 workers, Chau said.

“We feel it’s a great time to expand in the centre.”

A Lululemon athletic apparel retail store will open in St. Vital Centre on Sept. 26, per Kyle Waterman, the mall’s general manager. JD Sports will follow in late October or early November.

“We are very excited for these two brands as they will continue to elevate St. Vital Centre’s offering and tenant mix,” Waterman wrote in an email.

St. Vital Centre has more than 160 shops and services, its website reads.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com