BY KEITH LACEY
The Rainbow Outlet Centre?known as the City Centre Mall for three decades until new ownership came on board less than two years ago?is experiencing a rebirth with many new tenants on board and many more very close to signing long-term lease agreements.
Vista Hospitality Ltd. took over managing the mall about 18 months ago. It took awhile for new management to make its mark, but there?s been some big changes with many more to come in 2003, said mall leasing manager Joe Zito.
?We?re very pleased with what?s happened over the past few months,? said Zito. ?I think we?ve turned the corner on the negative image that it?s impossible to rent decent space downtown.
?We?re attracting a whole new range of businesses that want to be located downtown and other specialty businesses that for numerous reasons don?t want to be located in the suburban malls.?
Several new small retailers have opened their doors in the past few weeks, and several more will open in the next few months, said Zito.
A home decor outlet just opened, a perfume outlet retailer is set to open April 1, a children?s entertainment venue will open Feb. 1, and a health food store is set to open April 1.
Zito confirmed Friday Durham Natural Foods is moving from its current Durham Street location to a prime spot in the mall at the beginning of April.
Zito also confirmed the perfumeoutlet Aroma Vita will open this weekend. The store is relocating from another Sudbury mall.
The mall is involved in serious negotiations with a major grocery chain as well as a large pharmacy to sign long-term leases, said Zito.
Those two businesses would take up more than 45,000 square feet of space if the deals are signed.
?We?re very confident we?ll have at least the grocery store committed to a long-term deal by the beginning of summer,? he said.
Mall management has also hired a Toronto-based company that specializes in family entertainment to prepare a report that could turn up to 40,000 square feet of the mall?which basically covers half of the main floor of the old Eaton?s location?into an entertainment complex.
?We?re committed to turning 30,000 to 40,000 square feet of the mall into an entertainment venue, with ideas discussed including an indoor skating oval and amusement park rides?those are some the ideas being tossed around,? he said.
?We?ve told this company what we?d like to see and they are studying our mall and will be getting back to us with what they think will work.?
The main floor of the old Eaton?s store has been occupied by Sears furniture for several months. That huge amount of space will be vacated the first week in February as Sears is opening a huge furniture and home decorating outlet store near the Home Depot location on The Kingsway.
The mall is also negotiating with a major furniture retailer to take up half of this space with the family entertainment venue taking up the other half, said Zito.
The Oasis Fitness Centre is also doing very well and attracting many people who would otherwise not visit the mall on a regular basis, said Zito.
Zellers remains an anchor client and has another two years remaining on its current lease.
Zito and mall management are very confident Zellers will want to stay considering all the positive changes taking place.
Heritage Canada, a federal government agency, has also just signed a new long-term lease in the business tower section of the mall and several more big deals for the tower are being negotiated.
?Within the next year, the people of Sudbury are going to see some really major things happen here,? he said. ?Our goal is by next Christmas to have 75 to 80 per cent of all our retail space occupied and we believe that?s a very realistic goal.?
Zito said new management realized there was great potential to return the downtown mall to its previous glory days if it attracted the right clientele.
Mall management plans on conducting a major façade renovation if the grocery store and pharmacy deals are closed and this will make the mall more attractive and again bring in customers who might not have paid a visit in a very long time, said Zito.
?We?re very excited about the future,? said Zito. ?The next year is going to be a very big one for our downtown mall.?
