Renovations to Stratford Mall will include several phases that will ultimately give the local shopping destination a fresh look.
Allison Ballantyne, manger of the property formerly called Festival Marketplace Shopping Centre, told StratfordToday that plans include a full exterior paint and renovation of the main mall entrances, including new signage.
“We feel the Stratford Mall is a key property in the area and hope that the mall tenants, customers, and city of Stratford residents will enjoy these improvements to the mall's exterior."
The new property owners are Omar Kaake & Bryan Dykstra, who are based in Kitchener/tri-cities area. Central Views Property Management is the company overseeing the mall.
Ballantyne said the hope is the project will start and finish this spring.
In addition to the exterior, there are plans to renovate the mall foodcourt with new storefronts and signage for each vendor. A further phase of the project could include replacing all of the food court furniture and lighting.
There also could be a new food court unit. There is one vacancy, which has already gained lots of interest, she said.
Ballantyne said they have a new Korean/Japanese food court tenant opening (in the spring) and there should be a few more announcements shortly on new tenancies.
Currently, Stratford Mall includes larger retailers such as Canadian Tire and Winners, mixed with retail and food options. Ballantyne said the ownership group hopes to take advantage of the influx of tourists that come to Stratford each year for the Stratford Festival.
"Stratford is such a beautiful city that attracts a lot of tourists and (it is) showing lots of growth, we want the mall to reflect this as well.”
