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Our sales are at our highest in the history of the building since 1970

The mall’s ownership group, The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP), purchased the former Sears building and its parking lot for an undisclosed price in the late summer of 2018.

Sears Canada filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and the Windsor store closed in January 2018. Sears had owned the building and the parking lot at the north end since it and the mall opened in 1970.

“There’s deals we could have done already but we’re taking the time to explore all of our options to get the right deal,” Savard said.

Photo by Dax Melmer / jpg

It’s too early in the process to know when an announcement could be made on a new tenant or tenants. These things typically take a long time because it’s a big space (103,000 square feet per level) and there’s a lot of different approvals on both sides, he said. The two-storey Sears department store also had a basement.

The former Sears space may be divided into smaller stores but it’s also too early to know that yet, he said. There’s even been interest in the small building on the parking lot that the mall is using for its maintenance staff.

Last year what many Windsorites still call “The Mall” unveiled its new food court that was part of a $70-million renovation that included new flooring, ceilings, entrances and washrooms. New restaurants including the Mandarin Restaurant and new stores inside the mall along with the Metro grocery store at the south end have been added in the last two years.

The former Sears store would be Phase 4 of the renovation.