Q_01_web-singlepage_Jun15

In terms of the expansion, what’s new in retail?
We worked 50 new stores into the plan. Many of them are
new to market stores, meaning that they are first to Ontario,
and even new to Canada. For example, we‘ve just launched
Saks Fifth Avenue, which happens to be one of the only two
storefronts in Canada – the other at CF Toronto Eaton Centre.
The Saks Food Hall featuring Pusateri’s Fine Foods is another
great addition to the property. We feel proud that we've been
able to accomplish major milestones in just the last few years.
To the retailer roster we’ve added Ted Baker London, DeBeers,
Nespresso, Samsung, Uno De 50, Free People with Spring
opening of Indigo and a 3-level Sport Chek. Nordstrom is set to
open in early 2017, and more. We didn’t have the opportunity
to open any of these stores before the renovations, so this is
an exciting time in CF Sherway Gardens’ history. For example,
Harry Rosen re-located to a flagship store within the expansion
and doubled their square footage.
The mall is generally one level, except for a few of the stores,
like H&M, which are two-level once you enter. The team has
really found innovative ways to maximize the space. One of the
great features of a one-level mall is that it’s easier to navigate.
In fact, we have a running joke among colleagues – stick to the
right and you won’t get lost. In all seriousness though, it’s like
walking downtown, and the lack of escalators makes it easier
on those with children as well as people with limited mobility.
We work closely with the stores to ensure we’re all on the same
page when it comes to the premium look and feel we endeavor
to portray to our customers.
Aside from the retail influx, what are some of the new
elements of the expansion?
This latest expansion has allowed us to improve on the parking,
the dining experience as well as the technology side of
things. Our objective was to make your trip to CF Sherway
Gardens an enjoyable and smooth experience.
The parking conditions needed an overhaul.
Parking facilities now have a better layout, with
the addition of three level parking decks in very
close proximity to the mall rather than the
traditional one level outdoor parking which
forced you to walk a fair distance before
reaching one of the entrances.
One of the main challenges with
parking that we set out to solve was
finding a way to save time—to
do that we looked to increase
efficiency. After all, parking can
lend a lot to how enjoyable your
shopping experience turns
out. We introduced parking
navigation. A simple tool
using red and green
sensors, so that when you
get to the property, you
can drive straight to
the spot with a green
light, thereby saving
shoppers the hassle
of driving up and
down the rows. On the technology side of things, we’ll be
launching a smartphone app that will let you know where
the best available parking stalls are located making it easy to
plan your shopping trip accordingly before you even leave
the comforts of your home. Another program that we recently
launched is a concierge tool called CF SHOP! Text, a text-based
concierge service which gives consumers access to advanced
guest services at their fingertips. Shoppers can ask anything
from whether there is a specific store at the property to the
location of anything within the facility. In addition to improved
WiFi accessibility, we’ve also incorporated new digital
directories, outlining the exact path you need to take to
get to a desired location.
Continuing to evolve the definition of a
shopping centre, we are upping the game
by providing best-in-class options
from food to fashion. Our food
court, which was actually one
of the first food courts to be
built into a mall in all of
North America back in
1971, was moved to
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