4 Malls Impacted By Target’s Exit

Target's departure will take a toll on the B.C. retail world, with 19 stores closing across the province. Some malls will weather the retailer’s abrupt adieu better than others. Here are four Metro Vancouver shopping centres sure to feel effects.

1. Coquitlam Centre

The 120k SF Target here was the very first to open in B.C. in May 2013. The launch of the Coquitlam Centre store—among the largest locations in the province—was so significant it merited a visit from Target Canada president Tony Fisher (seen above at a Toronto event with Blake Lively). He was fired from the company the following year as Target attempted to salvage its flagging Canadian operation, to no avail. From a symbolic point of view, the closure of B.C.’s first Target store is the most poignant.

2. Haney Place Mall (Maple Ridge)

The mall has 225k SF of GLA, and Target occupies a 111k SF, two-floor space—a former Zellers that underwent an extensive renovation ahead of Target’s arrival in 2013. Maple Ridge mayor Nicole Read has expressed concern about its closure, particularly the loss of local jobs. Noting the priority her constituents place on having “strong retail” in the community, the mayor has pledged to work with Haney Place Mall’s owners to market the community to ensure that this prominent retail space is filled as quickly as possible.

3. Scottsdale Centre (North Delta)

When the 114k SF Target opened here in May 2013, the Delta Chamber of Commerce's executive director expressed hope that the retailer would attract additional business to the community, enhancing the shopping experience along the Scott Road corridor. So the sudden closing of the Target at Scottsdale Centre—one of the largest locations in Metro Vancouver, at one of the busiest intersections in the Lower Mainland, Scott Road and 70 Avenue—has to be a big buzzkill.

4. Metropolis At Metrotown (Burnaby) 

The closing of this 85k SF Target may be a mere ding for MAM, Canada's second-largest enclosed shopping mall, with 1.7M SF of space. But it's arguably the most high-profile location to be affected. While the Target here opened just six months after B.C.'s first in Coquitlam, already a company rep was highlighting difficulties faced by the retailer north of the border. “Stocks and inventory continue to be our No. 1 challenge,” she said. “We definitely recognize we aren't quite where we want to be with that.” Seems they never got there.