BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
The general manager of Rainbow Value Centre is confident about downtown and the mall.
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RAY HIRANI has been working on remodelling and re-positioning the former City Centre. Exterior renovations should be finished this fall. |
?Our investment into the whole centre, including the hotel speaks for itself,? said Ray Hirani, general manager of the Rainbow Value Centre.
Vista Hospitality Group, owners of the mall which includes the Ramada Inn, expect to invest up to $7 million in the centre?s facelift.
?If we thought for one second that the mall wasn?t viable at all, we would have moved out a long time ago,? said Hirani. ?We?re here to stay and build for the future.?
Hirani was outside the centre on Tuesday afternoon to announce exterior renovations that should be completed by the end of October, weather permitting.
?We?re scheduled to have the exterior renovations of the Elm and Notre Dame Streets walls completed by the end of October because we?d like to beat the snow.?
Hirani is hopeful the bright, fresh colours will appeal to new retailers, established retailers and, most importantly, customers.
?The centre has always had the reputation of being an old, brown building and with our new, bright colours we?re hoping it will change that image,? said Hirani. ?This new look is the look retailers are wanting and we?ve shown it
to retailers and they?re happy with it.?
Currently, the centre has 500,000 square feet of space, with 400,000 square feet reserved for retail tenants. As of Tuesday, the centre has about 280,000 square feet occupied.
Hirani said he will not be satisfied until all the remaining space is occupied.
?It?s important to attract new tenants because that creates excitement,? said Hirani. ?More tenants means more business.?
New tenants are flocking to the mall. In the last month and a half alone, six new business have opened their doors:
Sirkka Fashion Boutique, N...Wear, Northern Clothesline, Mimi?s Fine Jewelry and Repair, United Furniture Warehouse and the Northern Shoppe.
September will see the return of a grocery store to the mall. The Market Place will occupy about 9,000 square feet.
The Market Place will offer access from the mall and the newly redesigned parking lot outside. There will also be free parking for Market Place shoppers.
?It will be a big advantage for us and will separate us from some of the other malls in Sudbury,? said Hirani.
?There?s been a big demand for a grocery store since IGA closed.?
Hirani is big on uniqueness.
?With the grocery store, the fitness centre and a possible future entertainment centre, we?re going to be very unique and that will attract people.?
Hirani knows a strong Rainbow Value Centre begets a strong downtown core, which in turn benefits everyone in
the area.
?We realize we?re not here by ourselves and we need to support the other downtown businesses and services,? said Hirani. ?This new centre will do just that and all of downtown will be a place for people to come and stay for
the day, not just a few minutes.?
Hirani is sure the new look and direction will be a boon to the entire community.
?We have gone with value oriented tenants,? said Hirani. ?We?ve found that Sudbury residents want bang for their buck and we will deliver it.?
Jen Cassidy, manager of Northern Reflections, is excited about the current renovations and the hopes it will spark an influx of steady, new customers.
?The work they?re doing is beneficial to all of us in the mall and the downtown core,? said Cassidy. ?The more people coming downtown, the better.?
The Rainbow Value Centre currently offers about 60 stores and services.
Vista Hospitality Company owns and operates hotels and resorts throughout the United States and Canada.
