Central at Garden City — Richmond’s newest shopping centre, with Walmart as its anchor tenant— will open for business on Thursday, Oct. 27.
A number of the tenants in the 372,000-square-feet, outdoor retail complex, which stretches eastward from the northeast corner of Alderbridge Way and Garden City Road and includes Walmart and Marshalls, will open their doors on that day, along with several other stores.
The mall’s developer and owner, SmartCentres, said it couldn’t confirm exactly what stores are opening on that day as it’s entirely up to the tenant when it wants to start trading.
SmartCentres’ vice president of corporate affairs, Sandra Kaiser, said the rest of the tenants will open up for business in the days and weeks following Oct. 27, with a mall grand opening not expected until next year, when all the stores are open.
An estimated 975 jobs — about 240 at Walmart alone, which accounts for half the centre’s retail space — will be created as a result of the development.
To mark the grand opening of its Richmond store, Marshalls will donate $5,000 to Kids Help Phone. Its grand opening will take place at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 27.
In addition to retail shopping, the new mall will present plenty of dining opportunities representing a mixture of recognizable chains, such as Fat Burger and Fresh Slice Pizza, and those smaller, independent eateries represented by the likes of Ajisho Japanese Restaurant.
In the lead up to the mall’s opening, the intersection of Alderbridge Way and Garden City Road has been upgraded to include larger, designated left-turn lanes to help move traffic in and around the new mall more efficiently.
