Two new anchors stores, some losses, at reopening mall
Lambton Mall has largely reopened after most of its stores were closed for months. Cathy Dobson
Cathy Dobson
Keeping Sarnia’s only indoor shopping mall viable during COVID-19 has had as many twists and turns as the pandemic itself, says property manager Laura Beecroft.
“It’s been really tricky to manage,” she said. “We’ve never closed fully.”
Lambton Mall has returned to near-normal operations after Sarnia-Lambton entered Stage 2 of reopening on June 19, and with the added bonus of two new anchor stores.
Early in the retail shutdown in March the mall kept its doors open for a handful of of tenants deemed essential.
“We reduced our hours, then reduced them even more,” said Beecroft.
Cell City continued to operate and Showcase began selling personal protection equipment and hand sanitizer, making it essential. A handful of others, like LensCrafters and Guerette Chiropractic, stayed open by appointment only.
“A lot of our outside businesses also stayed open, like Canadian Tire, RBC and Pet Valu. Each retailer is operating with its own guidelines and requirements,” said Beecroft.
A planned March grand opening of Marshall’s and HomeSense was delayed until May 27. The two stores have created about 100 full and part-time jobs, a bright spot in an otherwise tough employment period.
“It was a successful opening in very difficult times,” said Beecroft.
Lambton Mall has lost two long-time tenants, Peoples Jewellers and La Senza, which closed permanently during the pandemic.
“(COVID-19) has been devastating for retail,” said Beecroft. “We are trying to help our retailers get back on their feet and we’re optimistic things are turning around slowly. But we need the support of the community to shop local.”
She said about 75% of the mall’s 80 businesses, including hair salons, had reopened as of June 26, though most aren’t keeping the same hours as the mall, (9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sundays).
The mall has prepared by installing sanitizer at each entrance and removing most benches. Busy areas are cleaned more frequently, children’s rides are closed, and employees have personal protective equipment.
Floor markings throughout help shoppers keep the required two metres apart.
As the reopening continues, mall stores are making individual decisions on safety protocols and hours, Beecroft said.
The food court is closed for dining-in but delivery and takeout are available. Patrons can dine at an expanded outdoor patio at Chuck’s Roadhouse.
Six of 80 tenants are participating in the mall’s curbside pickup program, with designated parking spaces on either side of the mall.
“It’s been busy in here since Stage 2 started,” said Beecroft. “There are a lot of people coming in to shop.”
A few benches have been left in hallways to give seniors a place to rest, she added.
Cineplex at the mall’s north end remains closed.
For more info on individual stores, hours, and curbside pickup, visit www.lambtonmall.com.
Shoppers return on first day of Stratford mall’s reopening
For the first time in three months, shoppers in Stratford went to the mall on Monday.
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After a soft opening over the weekend, M.J. Thomson, the Festival Marketplace’s property manager, said the retailers who have so far survived a three-month shutdown of their brick-and-mortar locations were busy while they and their patrons adjusted to the realities of in-person shopping during the pandemic era.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser. Shoppers return on first day of Stratford mall’s reopening Back to video
Those include physical distancing of at least two metres, mandatory mask wearing in bathrooms and in some stores, and signage encouraging frequent hand-washing or sanitizing.
“We’re excited to be getting back to what this new age of shopping is and we hope our customers respect that we’re trying to keep them safe,” Thomson said. “People need to be prepared for all scenarios, depending on the comfort level of the company and the employees.”
For now, the mall is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m Monday to Friday and 11. a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. There are two places to enter and exit – the main doors at Hart Home and Fashion and at Sportchek.
People who aren’t feeling well are being asked to stay home, as are mall walkers who liked to get some exercise at Festival Marketplace prior to the pandemic.
“It’s not that we don’t love them, we just don’t want them right now,” Thomson said.
Not every retailer in the mall is currently open and that includes Winners and Bath and Body Works, a couple of the stores Stratford shoppers were curious about on social media Monday.
Thomson said Winners is expected to open Wednesday while Bath and Body Works has plans, as of Monday, to reopen some time in July.
Former owners return to troubled Chatham mall
Management at the Downtown Chatham Centre is trying to turn the mall’s fortunes around but is asking for patience. February 5, 2020. Photo by Paul Pedro)
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After a few turbulent years that have seen almost a dozen store closures, Chatham’s shopping mall is reverting back to its former owners.
The Downtown Chatham Centre (DCC) has changed ownership again after being reacquired by Touchstone Group Ltd. of Toronto as of August 1, following several years under the management of Goldberg Groups of Hamilton.
Touchstone bought the Downtown Chatham Centre in 2016 from the Warrener family.
Touchstone lawyer Mathew Moyal told Blackburn News on Tuesday the Downtown Chatham Centre is not closing and financial restructuring is underway with the banks. Moyal also denied Touchstone Group is looking to sell the mall. He said they have to sort through the former owner’s mortgage after he defaulted and would have more concrete news in about two months.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Moyal added.
The now-former general manager, Kazafi Basra, had no comment when contacted by Blackburn News and directed all questions to Touchstone Group.
Lynn O’Brien, who was the general manager at the mall before Goldberg Groups took over, is back and has resumed her position.
It’s been a rocky road for the Downtown Chatham Centre over the last few years under Goldberg Groups. Several stores and services have left the mall including Sears, Peoples Jewellers, Coles, and Suzy Shier just to name a few. However, Basra previously told Blackburn News that the closures were corporate decisions made by those businesses and it had nothing to do with the mall or its management.
In 2019, Basra said he was trying his best to remodel the mall and there were a number of projects still coming down the pipeline for the DCC, but ultimately didn’t elaborate on what those projects were
The Downtown Chatham Centre has also suffered from accessibility troubles in the past due to the closure of Sears back in late 2017, which housed the only elevator to the mall’s second floor. While the doors to the empty store were reopened by management for a period of time to allow elevator access, the former Sears store was again closed off due to fire code violations.
More recently, the mall’s escalators have been out of order for at least the last eight months.
Currently, the mall’s second floor sits mostly empty and there are a few open stores on the main floor.