Sears building at Devonshire Mall to be demolished later this spring
Removal will free up land for redesign, new retailers, operations manager says
Devonshire Mall's large Sears anchor store, which has sat empty since 2018, has a date with the wrecking ball this spring.
“The timing is right because some of the (economic) changes that are happening,” said Chris Savard, regional operations manager for the mall's owner, Primaris REIT.
Savard told the Windsor Star a redesign is planned for the northern end of Windsor's largest retail outlet. The demolition job is currently out for tender and he said the mall is in discussion with multiple tenants for the space.
“People have seen the success of the stores here, and other retailers who aren't in our marketplace are interested.
“The combination of all the factors creating a positive economic outlook in Windsor make it a perfect storm in a good way.”
The removal of the Sears building will free up seven hectares (18.5 acres).
It will also create the opportunity to reconfigure the mall's outside entrance at that end of the giant retail complex. Several of the smaller retail units at the Sears' entrance with the mall will be combined to create a larger space for a retailer to be announced soon.
Savard declined to give specifics about the possible new tenants in that new entrance area, but the hope is they'll open in 2025.
Sears' outbuildings, where lawn mowers, tires and other hardware items were sold, will also come down as part of the redevelopment.
“It'll be like a blank canvas to work with,” said Savard, who also oversees Primaris REIT'S malls in Peterborough and Belleville.
“It'll be a large site and it'll have multiple tenants on a number of stand-alone sites (unattached to the current mall). The current mall is quite large and we want to rightsize the centre.
“This will give us some flexibility for new retailers. We're in a lot of exciting discussions.”
Savard added the mall's owners haven't ruled out any particular use of the new space at this point, including a hotel or some form of housing.
Primaris has looked at repurposing the space, but Savard said it was a challenge to place a new tenant into an area that was designed specifically for another use. The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout have also forced the mall to put redevelopment plans on hold until now.
Since Sears closed its doors on Jan. 14, 2018, the building has remained largely vacant.
It was used by Spirit Halloween as a temporary store, and for 10 months beginning in June 2021 the Windsor Regional Hospital used it as a vaccination clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Savard said Devonshire Mall's sales volumes have made a strong recovery post-pandemic.
“We're at record sales volume. Now, we're looking at how do we improve on that.
“We'll always look to retailers first because that's our draw. We like our mix of tenants.”
That mix will see a few other changes in the coming months.
In addition to the announcement of the Sears' building demolition, Savard confirmed three new tenants will also be locating in the mall by late summer or early fall.
The Canadian Brewhouse will move into the former Buffalo Wild Wings store that closed in 2023, while the home goods, cosmetics and accessories retailer Miniso will set up in the former food court area. The new food court will also see the addition of Today Cafe.