BY HEIDI ULRICHSEN
It won?t be long before the New Sudbury Centre?s $20 million renovations are completed. The construction project, which started in the spring of 2003, is expected to be finished in the next eight months.
General manager Curtis Fortowsky talked about the changes at the mall Monday.
A new, larger Wal-Mart store, a free-standing Future Shop, a large-format Shoppers Drug Mart and a detached Swiss Chalet restaurant are all part of the improvements. The corporations are mostly paying for the renovations themselves.
Both the current Wal-Mart and Future Shop will be demolished to improve parking and vehicle circulation. When the renovations are complete, people will be able to drive all the way around the shopping centre.
The expanded Wal-Mart store is expected to be completed in late summer, and will be located immediately to the north of the existing Future Shop. It will
be 132,550 square feet, or 33 percent larger than it is right now.
Future Shop is relocating to the site where the Sears Auto Centre was located, and will be completed in late spring.
Shoppers Drug Mart will move from the Supermall across the street into the former Pharma Plus location in the New Sudbury Centre. It will also take over space formerly occupied by Swiss Chalet. That store will also be completed this spring.
Swiss Chalet has already relocated to a 6,000 square foot site near the Lasalle and Barrydowne intersection. It includes a new drive-thru, pick-up window.
Fortowsky says the new stores will not only improve shopping choices, but parking. There will be about 150 more spots, because they were re-aligned to face a different direction.
?We picked up a lot of stalls,? he says. ?Also, when we are done the renovations, traffic flow will be a lot better. People will be able to drive right around the mall...There will be construction for the next few months, so it will be a bit chaotic. But it?s all for the greater good.?
