White Oaks Mall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| White Oaks Mall | |
| Mall facts and statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | London, Ontario, Canada |
| Opening date | 1973 |
| Management | Redcliff Realty Management |
| Owner | CPP Investment Board |
| No. of stores and services | 185 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,070,000 sq. ft. |
| Parking | 3,350 |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Website | www.whiteoaksmall.ca |
White Oaks Mall is a major shopping centre in London, Ontario. It is located at the southwest corner of Wellington Road and Bradley Avenue, just north of Highway 401.
Contents |
[edit] History
The property on which the mall is now located was originally occupied by an outdoor plaza, built in 1962. It featured a Sayvette department store and a Loblaws grocery store.
In 1972, the plaza was completely rebuilt to make way for a massive expansion. It became a fully enclosed shopping centre in early 1973, featuring a Woolco department store and about 40 other tenants. The main entrance to the mall included artistic steel sculptures and a massive arch-like gateway, all of which still exist today.
The mall has expanded again in 1976, which included a Simpson's department store (now The Bay). By this time, the area surrounding the mall began to change rapidly, with new residential subdivisions and highrise apartments being constructed. Also, many new commercial establishments located nearby.
White Oaks was enlarged once again in 1985 and 1988, with an additional 80 new stores and a food court added. This made the mall one of the largest shopping centres in Southwestern Ontario.
In the mid 1990s, lack of parking became such a problem that a nearby office building was demolished to allow for more spaces. In 2005, the mall was sold to the CPP Investment Board.
[edit] Recent Expansion & New Stores
During 2006, White Oaks expanded by over 36,000 sq. ft. with Swedish retailer H&M opening its first London store. Also, several new retailers including an Applebee's restaurant and Urban Behaviour have opened.
In Spring 2007, more national retailers including Guess?, Aéropostale, Ben Moss, and Off The Wall will open. The expansion now brings 185 stores within the mall and over 1,000,000 square feet of retail space.
[edit] Anchors
- The Bay (165,000 sq. ft.)
- Wal-Mart (151,000 sq. ft.)
- Sport Chek (20,000 sq. ft.)
- H&M (18,000 sq. ft.)
