White Oaks
Overview
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
White Oaks Mall is a major shopping centre in London, Ontario. It is located at the southwest corner of Wellington Road and Bradley Avenue, just north of Highway 401.
History
The property on which the mall is now located was originally occupied by an outdoor plaza, built in 1962. It featured a Sayvette department store and a Loblaws grocery store.
In 1972, the plaza was completely rebuilt to make way for a massive expansion. It became a fully enclosed shopping centre in early 1973, featuring a Woolco department store and about 40 other tenants. The main entrance to the mall included artistic steel sculptures and a massive arch-like gateway, all of which still exist today.
The mall expanded again in 1976, which included a Simpson's department store (now The Bay). By the early 1980's, the area surrounding the mall began to change with new low-density housing and highrise apartments being constructed. Also, many new commercial establishments located nearby.
White Oaks was enlarged once again in 1985 and 1988, with an additional 80 new stores and a food court added. This made the mall one of the largest shopping centres in Southwestern Ontario.
In the mid 1990s, lack of parking became such a problem that a nearby office building was demolished to allow for more spaces. In 2005, the mall was sold to the CPP Investment Board and Osmington Inc.
Recent Expansion & New Stores
During 2006, White Oaks expanded by over 36,000 sq ft (3,300 m²). with Swedish retailer H&M opening its first London store. As well, several new retailers including an Applebee's restaurant, Urban Behavior, and an expanded Jacob opened.
In 2007, more retailers including Guess?, Ben Moss, Off The Wall, D-Tox, Lids, Joneve, Freshly Squeezed, Dollarama and Canada's first Aéropostale store have opened. A renovation of the interior of the mall also took place in 2007.
The recent expansion brings approximately 175 stores and services in the mall.
Anchors & Majors
- The Bay (165,000 sq ft (15,300 m²))
- Wal-Mart (151,000 sq ft (14,000 m²))
- Sport Chek (20,000 sq ft (2,000 m²))
- H&M (18,000 sq ft (1,700 m²))
- Gap (16,000 sq ft (1,500 m²))
- Jacob (16,000 sq ft (1,500 m²))
- Urban Behavior (15,000 sq ft (1,400 m²))
- Dollarama (12,000 sq ft (1,100 m²))
