CF Fairview Park (commonly known as Fairview Park Mall) is a large
shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada, owned and managed by
Cadillac Fairview
The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited is a Canadian company that invests in, owns, and manages commercial real estate, mainly in Canada and the United States. As of March 2017, the company had 73 properties, encompassing 38 million square feet ...
.Fairview Park Directory Listing . Accessed July 16, 2007. Anchor stores are Hudson's Bay and
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
, with one large anchor space, last occupied by
Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ...
, divided into multiple stores including
Winners
Winners Merchants International L.P is a chain of off-price Canada, Canadian department stores owned by TJX Companies.
It offers brand name clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, fine jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. Products are at a ...
,
Sport Chek
Sport Chek is the largest Canadian retailer of sporting clothing and sports equipment, with 191 stores throughout Canada as of 2020. It is the only national big box sporting goods retailer in Canada, although it is absent in the Northwest Territ ...
and
Mark's
Mark's (known as L'Équipeur in Quebec) is a Canadian clothing and footwear retailer specializing in casual and industrial wear. Beginning in 1977 as Mark's Work Wearhouse in Calgary, Alberta, it evolved from an industrial accessories dealer ...
which opened in 2021, with the rest of vacant space planned for redevelopment in the future.
Kingsway Drive bounds CF Fairview Park to the north, Wilson Avenue to the west, Fairway Road to the south, and Highway 8 to the east. Its presence over the years has turned Fairway Road into a major commercial strip. Out of the four malls in the Region, Fairview Park is the largest at of
gross leasable area
In architecture, construction, and real estate, floor area, floor space, or floorspace is the area (measured as square feet or square metres) taken up by a building or part of it. The ways of defining "floor area" depend on what factors of the buil ...
.Cadillac Fairview Retail Portfolio Accessed July 16, 2007.
The mall is also a significant public transit hub in
Waterloo Region
The Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Waterloo Region or Region of Waterloo) is a metropolitan area of Southern Ontario, Canada. It contains the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo (KWC or Tri-Cities), and the townships of North Dumfr ...
.
Fairway station
Fairway is a light rail station and bus station in Kitchener, Ontario
)
, image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg
, image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg
, image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg
, image_blan ...
, located just west of the mall, is the terminus for many
Grand River Transit
Grand River Transit (GRT) is the public transport operator for the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It operates daily bus services in the region, primarily in the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge, alongside the I ...
bus routes as well as the southern terminal of the
Ion rapid transit
Ion, stylized as ION, is an integrated public transportation network in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Keolis and is part of the Grand River Transit (GRT) system, partially replacing GRT's Route 200 i ...
system, which recently started operating in June 2019.
History
Fairview Park opened in 1966 in the Parkway neighbourhood of the recently expanded City of Kitchener. A
Simpsons-Sears
Sears Canada Inc. was a publicly-traded Canadian company affiliated with the American-based Sears department store chain. In operation from 1952 until January 14, 2018, and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, the company began as Simpsons-Searsâ ...
department store had opened in August 1965, predating the mall's opening by a year, with the rest of the mall being constructed around it.
The initial anchors were Simpsons-Sears at the south end and a
Zehrs
Zehrmart Inc. (doing business as Zehrs Markets or simply Zehrs ), is a Canadian supermarket chain in southern Ontario. The chain has 43 locations and is a part of Loblaw Companies Limited which purchased the Zehrs chain in the mid-1970s.
Hist ...
supermarket at the north. A new wing with
Woolco
Woolco was an American-based discount retail chain. It was founded in 1962 in Columbus, Ohio, by the F. W. Woolworth Company. It was a full-line discount department store unlike the five-and-dime Woolworth stores which operated at the time. At its ...
was added on the east in the early 1970s along with 20 stores, and
Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, a ...
on the west was added in the early 1980s along with 40 more stores. In the time since, Simpsons-Sears has become
Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ...
, Woolco was converted to a
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
, and Simpsons became The Bay. The small Zehrs supermarket had been located facing Kingsway Drive but moved to an outdoor plaza on
Weber Street
Weber Street (, ) is a major roadway connecting the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It forms a component of Waterloo Regional Road 8, whose route designation continues along several other roads in south Kitchener and Cambri ...
on the other side of Highway 8 (occupying the space of the former "HiWay Market" supermarket). Its area was redeveloped, partially into the current food court and partially into a
PharmaPlus
Rexall Pharmacy Group ULC is a chain of retail pharmacies in Canada. Rexall is owned by McKesson Canada Corporation, which is a subsidiary of McKesson Corporation, a U.S.-based public company. With a history dating back to 1904, Rexall is a lea ...
location (which later closed).
From early 2007 to that summer, the mall underwent a major $33.4-million redevelopment. This renovation included a new food court and interiors, including high ceilings. The parking lot was also refurbished. It was the first major renovation since 1986.
Winners
Winners Merchants International L.P is a chain of off-price Canada, Canadian department stores owned by TJX Companies.
It offers brand name clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, fine jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. Products are at a ...
*
Sport Chek
Sport Chek is the largest Canadian retailer of sporting clothing and sports equipment, with 191 stores throughout Canada as of 2020. It is the only national big box sporting goods retailer in Canada, although it is absent in the Northwest Territ ...
*
Mark's
Mark's (known as L'Équipeur in Quebec) is a Canadian clothing and footwear retailer specializing in casual and industrial wear. Beginning in 1977 as Mark's Work Wearhouse in Calgary, Alberta, it evolved from an industrial accessories dealer ...
Urban Behavior
Urban Behavior also spelled Behaviour is a unisex apparel retailer in Canada with a focus on club wear. The chain was founded in 1989 by Arif Noor.Cineplex Cinemas and VIP
*
Indigo Books and Music
Indigo Books & Music Inc., known as "Indigo" and stylized "!ndigo", is Canada's only major English-language bookstore chain. It is Canada's largest book, gift, and specialty toy retailer, operating stores in all ten provinces and one terr ...
* Party City
Former anchors
*
Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ...
(divided into
Winners
Winners Merchants International L.P is a chain of off-price Canada, Canadian department stores owned by TJX Companies.
It offers brand name clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, fine jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. Products are at a ...
,
Sport Chek
Sport Chek is the largest Canadian retailer of sporting clothing and sports equipment, with 191 stores throughout Canada as of 2020. It is the only national big box sporting goods retailer in Canada, although it is absent in the Northwest Territ ...
,
Mark's
Mark's (known as L'Équipeur in Quebec) is a Canadian clothing and footwear retailer specializing in casual and industrial wear. Beginning in 1977 as Mark's Work Wearhouse in Calgary, Alberta, it evolved from an industrial accessories dealer ...
Forever 21
Forever 21 is a multinational fast fashion retailer headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. Originally founded as the store Fashion 21 in Highland Park, Los Angeles in 1984,Forever 21History & Facts, n.d. Retrieved 27 April 2014 ...
Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, a ...
Woolco
Woolco was an American-based discount retail chain. It was founded in 1962 in Columbus, Ohio, by the F. W. Woolworth Company. It was a full-line discount department store unlike the five-and-dime Woolworth stores which operated at the time. At its ...
(converted to
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
, now a Walmart Supercentre)
Food Court
Fairview Park Mall has a large food court with various multicultural options ranging from American fast food to East Asian Cuisine. Notable restaurants include
KFC
KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...
Tim Horton's
Tim Hortons Inc., commonly nicknamed Tim's, or Timmie's is a Canadian multinational coffeehouse and restaurant chain. Based in Toronto, Tim Hortons serves coffee, doughnuts, and other fast-food items. It is Canada's largest quick-service resta ...
, Subway, and Bourbon Street Grill. Stand-alone restaurants include Jack Astor's and PI CO. Pizza Bar.
Area/Location
Fairview Park Mall is located on Fairway road near the neighbourhoods of Traynor/Vanier and Centreville, a 5-minute drive from downtown Kitchener, Ontario. With a population of 14,000, it is one of the largest neighbourhoods in the Region.
Transit Terminal
Fairview Park Mall is also home to a central transit terminal. A bus terminal was located beside the southwest entrance to the ''Hudson's Bay'' store. This facility operated as a significant hub for
Grand River Transit
Grand River Transit (GRT) is the public transport operator for the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It operates daily bus services in the region, primarily in the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge, alongside the I ...
(GRT), with most of the routes served terminating there. The Region's
Ion rapid transit
Ion, stylized as ION, is an integrated public transportation network in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Keolis and is part of the Grand River Transit (GRT) system, partially replacing GRT's Route 200 i ...
system now services this area as well, at the
Fairway station
Fairway is a light rail station and bus station in Kitchener, Ontario
)
, image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg
, image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg
, image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg
, image_blan ...
, which has its associated bus connections; when that station came online in June 2019, the existing terminal closed.
The Traynor/Vanier neighbourhood is home to many new immigrants and working-class people of Kitchener. Many of them use the bus regularly. This is an essential asset to the community in which the mall is located.
Bus routes essential from the Fairview neighbourhood reach as far as Southern Cambridge and Northern Waterloo are the epicentre of transportation in the Tri-Cities.