Construction has recently begun on Richmond Hill’s Hillcrest Mall in front of the Bay — and though the mall is mum on which stores are coming to town, representatives from high-end sports retailer Sporting Life have said that the store will be arriving at Hillcrest in 2016.
The retailer opened its first location in midtown Toronto in 1979 and has since grown to reach various locations around the province.
The announcement of its expansion into Richmond Hill was timed up with the announcement that it would be partnering with Alpine Ontario Alpin on a five-year sponsorship contract.
John Roe, Sporting Life director of marketing, said that the expansion will help the retailer reach skiers across the province. “We believe in getting behind our initiatives and doing them right, [such as] opening a new store,” said Roe.
Sporting Life reports that its new location will contain 32,000 square feet of retail space — which is supported by an application made last year by Hillcrest to the Town of Richmond Hill, which requested a site plan amendment to permit a 40,300-square-foot expansion. The plan, according to the application, is to consolidate the two Bay stores into one enlarged unit and reconfigure the south end of the mall.
Several representatives from owner Oxford Properties Group stated that they were unable to comment on any new tenants.
Hillcrest spokesperson Stairky Fok remained unsure about when Sporting Life would be arriving and was surprised to learn that Sporting Life had publically announced the location and opening date on their website.
“I don’t know why they put it on their website,” said Fok. “We don’t know any dates yet — if we did, we’d put it on our website.” Fok said that she doesn’t expect management to have details for several months. “Right now the Bay [south location] is open and everything is going on as usual.”
But Sporting Life remains adamant that they are coming. “I can say that this location is confirmed,” said marketing manager Angela Esguerra.