Ottawa's shopping boom could get a major boost with a $250 million expansion of the Rideau Centre that would bring more much-wanted names to the capital.
H&M, Ann Taylor and Victoria’s Secret are some of the retailers that reportedly have interest in a bigger downtown mall, which would involve an addition at its eastern end where a parking lot currently sits.
"I think Rideau Centre has had a good working brand for many years," said area councillor Mathieu Fleury. "Now they're just getting up to par to the expectations of what urban Ottawa and Ottawa in General wants."
“That would be fantastic, would be more like Montreal or Toronto,” said a shopper. “I also don't think you should have to leave your city to go shopping, so it would be nice to have some of that here.”
The news comes on the heels of American high-end retailer Nordstrom’s move into part of the now-closed Sears space at one end of the mall.
“I like that because (Nordstrom’s) got a good mix of higher-end stuff mixed with lower priced items,” said one person at the Rideau Centre.
Rideau Centre’s proposed move also comes amidst a $200 million renovation that’s already underway at Bayshore Shopping Centre and a major expansion planned at the St. Laurent Centre.
There are also new stores at a revamped Lansdowne Park and an outlet mall in the works for Kanata.
The Rideau Centre project would need final approval from ownership company Cadillac Fairview and city council, but construction could potentially start as early as the spring of 2013.
In that timeline, the new section would be ready by 2015.
With reports from CTV Ottawa’s Stefan Keyes and Claudia Cautillo
