The former Sears store at Devonshire Mall in Windsor is seen on March 31, 2018. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.The former Sears store at Devonshire Mall in Windsor is seen on March 31, 2018. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.
Windsor

Devonshire Sears Site In Limbo

The space that was once Windsor's biggest Sears store will be sitting empty a while longer.

It's been over three months since the Sears anchor store at Devonshire Mall closed its doors for good as Sears Canada liquidated more of its assets. The question now is, what will become of it?

Chris Savard, general manager of Devonshire Mall, says the ball is in Sears Canada's court.

"Sears owns their own real estate," says Savard. "They're going through a process on their end to do whatever they need to do in terms of liquidation of their assets."

Sears Canada sought creditor protection in the summer of 2017 after an extended period of decreased market share and sagging sales. Shortly before that, there were 140 full-service Sears stores across Canada, along with 70 Hometown stores and over 900 credit, catalogue and package-pickup locations.

Despite the fact that the Devonshire Mall location is one of the strongest in the Sears Canada group, the store closed along with the rest of the chain following the holiday shopping season. At the time of the closing sale, the store employed about 200 people.

The store has been on that site since Devonshire Mall opened in 1970. Passersby can still see store fixtures lying about beyond the locked gates, with long-time customers being able to point out where some of their favourite merchandise was sold once upon a time.

Savard says the future of the Sears site is high on the list of frequently-asked questions received by the mall's administration office, but the mall can't move forward with plans for the vacant store until Sears Canada completes its obligations.

"We're sitting by hoping and understanding that at some point that'll be made available, and given the right circumstances, I'd think we'd be interested in purchasing it for sure," says Savard.

Sears Canada began in 1952 as a joint venture between the U.S.-based Sears, Roebuck and Company and the Canadian chain Simpsons. It was formerly headquartered in Toronto.

The mall has already moved forward with the redevelopment of another former anchor's site. The old Zellers and Target store at the south end of the mall is in the process of being transformed. A new Metro supermarket is operational there, and a new concourse surrounding it with more retailers is under construction.

Savard says the mall, undergoing a $70-million renovation, maintains bustling foot traffic and remains a prime shopping destination in Windsor-Essex, with only a small handful of vacant units.

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