The Stratford Mall, formerly known as the Festival Marketplace Shopping Centre, is getting a facelift.
New owners Bryan Dykstra and Omar Kaake announced last week plans to renovate the exterior façade in the spring as part of the mall’s ongoing revitalization. The renovations are intended to modernize the look and feel of the mall while drawing in more visitors and new tenants.
“Modernizing and updating the property was always part of our plan, and the Stratford Mall team is excited to get these renovations underway so we can continue to serve the community’s needs,” Dykstra said in a press release.
“Prior to purchasing the property, exterior renovations may not have been part of our plans, but after over five months of ownership, we now believe investing in the update of the exterior façade of the mall will be a good representation of our confidence in its success and be a sign of exciting, new things to come,” Kaake added in an email.
Kaake said the renovations, which are expected to be completed this spring, are part of an effort to have the mall reflect Stratford’s reputation as a beautiful city that attracts thousands of tourists each year.
In addition to exterior renovations, Kaake said he, Dykstra and their management team are working on further plans to renovate the mall food court with new storefronts and signage for each vendor and the eventual replacement of all its furniture and lighting. Ultimately, he said they may even add an additional food court unit.
“We now only have one vacancy (in the food court), which has already gained lots of interest,” he said, noting a Korean food vendor will soon open in that space.
The mall will remain open with access to the exterior entrances during renovations this spring. The Stratford Mall will communicate any potential impacts the renovations could have for shoppers via its website and social media channels, as well as through signage posted inside the mall and on the property.
Central Views, a property management company based in Cambridge, took over ownership of the mall last August. Founded in 2017, Central Views oversees about 140,000 square meters (1,500,000 square feet) of commercial retail property in the Kitchener area. The Stratford Mall, the first property Central Views has invested in outside of that region, is also the first enclosed shopping center in the company’s portfolio.
