Fairview Mall
Fairview Mall is a large enclosed shopping centre in Toronto's North York district, operated and half-owned by Cadillac Fairview.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Fairview Mall, corporately styled CF Fairview Mall, is a major enclosed shopping centre at the northeast corner of Don Mills Road and Sheppard Avenue East in Toronto, Ontario. The property serves the surrounding North York communities and benefits from its position near Highway 401, Highway 404, the Don Valley Parkway, the Toronto Transit Commission's Don Mills subway station and regional bus services. Its location combines conventional automobile access with substantial public-transit connectivity, making it both a neighbourhood retail destination and a regional shopping centre. The mall opened in 1970 with approximately 100 stores distributed across two levels. At the time, it was notable as Metropolitan Toronto's first multi-level enclosed shopping centre and one of the region's earliest large-format suburban malls. Its original department-store anchors were The Bay and Simpsons. The centre was developed at an estimated construction cost of CA$20 million, although this historical figure is not treated here as a current financial metric. Fairview Mall's physical format and tenant mix changed substantially over time. Between 1987 and 1989, Cadillac Fairview and then co-owner Markborough Properties undertook a major expansion and renovation that added larger department-store spaces and a glass-tiered roof intended to increase natural light. The Simpsons location was later converted to Sears after the Hudson's Bay Company consolidated its department-store banners. Sears remained an important anchor until the retailer exited Canada in 2017. A further large-scale redevelopment began in 2006 and was completed in late 2008. The project modernized entrances and common areas, expanded Shoppers Drug Mart, added a large LCBO store, relocated the food court beneath a prominent skylight and improved access to office space above the mall. Additional fashion and specialty retailers, including Zara, Sephora, Forever 21, Hollister and Bath & Body Works, arrived around 2009, while the Sheppard Avenue frontage and dining areas were also upgraded. The property has increasingly incorporated food, services and transit-oriented uses alongside traditional retail. A former Sears area was redeveloped for T&T Supermarket, which opened in May 2023. The broader redevelopment announced in 2019 included new restaurants, mall improvements, reuse of the former Sears box and improved pedestrian access to the TTC station; the transit connection was completed in 2023. The centre contains more than 180 stores, offices, a multiplex cinema, a food court and restaurants, and has approximately 80,000 square metres of retail and related space. Ownership has changed through several institutional transactions. Markborough Properties' interest passed through Cambridge Shopping Centres and Ivanhoé Cambridge before Ivanhoé Cambridge's 50 percent stake was acquired in 2018 by 404 & Sheppard LP on behalf of investment funds overseen by TD Greystone Asset Management. Cadillac Fairview continues to manage the mall and retains a 50 percent ownership interest. Today, Fairview Mall operates as a mixed retail, dining, entertainment and service destination rather than solely as a department-store-led shopping centre.
History
Fairview Mall was established in 1970 in the former city of North York, at the intersection of Don Mills Road and Sheppard Avenue East. Its opening introduced a large, fully enclosed, two-level shopping centre to the Metropolitan Toronto retail landscape. The original scheme contained about 100 stores and was anchored by The Bay and Simpsons. It was described as the first multi-level enclosed shopping centre in Metropolitan Toronto and was built at a reported cost of approximately CA$20 million. The centre's first major physical transformation took place from 1987 to 1989. Cadillac Fairview and co-owner Markborough Properties invested in a large expansion and renovation that increased the scale of the anchor stores and added a glass-tiered ceiling. The roof treatment, influenced by the daylight-oriented design of Toronto's Eaton Centre, brought more natural light into the interior and helped reposition Fairview Mall as a contemporary regional shopping destination. The Bay and Simpsons moved into larger premises during this period. In 1991, Hudson's Bay Company discontinued the Simpsons banner in favour of The Bay. The Fairview Mall Simpsons store was subsequently sold to Sears Canada and operated under the Sears name for many years. Ownership also evolved. Markborough Properties was acquired by Cambridge Shopping Centres in 1997, and Cambridge later became part of Ivanhoé Cambridge through transactions completed between 1999 and 2001. Transportation infrastructure became an important part of the property's setting in the late 1990s and early 2000s. A sizeable part of the parking area was redeveloped to support a bus terminal associated with the TTC's Don Mills station and the Sheppard subway line. The station opened in 2002, and the site also became a southern terminus for York Region Transit's Viva Green bus rapid transit service. These connections strengthened the mall's role as a destination accessible from across the northeastern Toronto region. A second major redevelopment began in July 2006 and was completed in late 2008. The multi-phase work modernized the centre's entrances and interior public areas, expanded Shoppers Drug Mart, introduced a large-format LCBO store and moved the food court to the lower level beneath an approximately 60-foot skylight near The Bay. Hands-free entrance technology, wood finishes, more open common areas and new elevator access to the third-floor offices were among the reported improvements. The mall's retail profile broadened in and around 2009 with the arrival of brands such as Bath & Body Works, Forever 21, Sephora, Hollister and Zara. The Sheppard Avenue facade and a dining area were also renewed, while the cinema operation evolved from an older Rainbow Cinema format. Sears Canada closed its Fairview Mall store in late 2017 during the liquidation of the company's Canadian operations. In 2018, Ivanhoé Cambridge's 50 percent interest was acquired by 404 & Sheppard LP, later identified as acting for investment funds overseen by TD Greystone Asset Management. Cadillac Fairview retained the other half of the ownership and continued to manage the property. On March 27, 2019, Cadillac Fairview announced another expansion and redevelopment programme. The plan addressed the former Sears box, introduced a row of restaurants, improved the existing mall and provided a new pedestrian connection to the TTC station. The transit-access improvements were completed in 2023. The former Sears space also became home to T&T Supermarket, which opened on May 18, 2023. The modern Fairview Mall therefore combines retail, grocery, dining, entertainment, personal services, offices and transit access across a large North York site. The mall has also been the location of various criminal and emergency incidents, including weapons discoveries, robberies, stabbings, shootings and a vehicle collision. These incidents are part of the site's reported public history but do not, on the available material, establish a corporate scandal or misconduct by the mall operator.
- 2023
T&T Supermarket opens
[1]T&T Supermarket opened in the lower level of the former Sears space.
- 2019
Expansion programme announced
[1]Cadillac Fairview announced restaurants, a former Sears redevelopment, mall improvements and a pedestrian connection to the TTC.
- 2018
Change in co-ownership
[1]Ivanhoé Cambridge's 50 percent interest was acquired by 404 & Sheppard LP for investment funds overseen by TD Greystone Asset Management.
- 2017
Sears exits the property
[1]The Sears anchor closed as part of Sears Canada's liquidation.
- 2008
Redevelopment completed
[1]The centre completed its major renovation and redevelopment programme.
- 2006
Comprehensive redevelopment begins
[1]A multi-phase modernization started, including public-area renewal, retail expansion and changes to the food court and entrances.
- 2002
Don Mills subway station opens
[1]The TTC's Don Mills station opened beside the mall, accompanied by bus-terminal and regional transit connections.
- 1991
Simpsons is replaced by Sears
[1]Following Hudson's Bay Company's retirement of the Simpsons banner, the Fairview Mall location was sold to Sears Canada.
- 1989
Anchor relocation and modernization
[1]The Bay and Simpsons moved into larger spaces as the redevelopment added a glass-tiered ceiling and expanded the centre.
- 1987
Major expansion begins
[1]Cadillac Fairview and Markborough Properties began a major expansion and renovation programme.
Products and positioning
A large, transit-accessible North York shopping centre combining national fashion and specialty retailers with grocery, dining, entertainment, services and office uses.
Retail category
Fashion and apparel retail
Fairview Mall accommodates a broad selection of clothing and fashion retailers, ranging from national chains to specialty stores. The mix expanded notably during the late-2000s modernization, when brands including Zara, Forever 21 and Hollister were reported to have opened at the property. Apparel remains one of the centre's principal customer-draw categories.
Grocery · 2023
T&T Supermarket
T&T Supermarket occupies the lower level of the former Sears space. Opened in 2023, it added a large grocery and prepared-food component to the mall and helped repurpose a former department-store anchor after Sears Canada left the property.
Food and beverage
Dining and food court
The mall provides a food court, restaurants and a later dining-oriented area. During the 2006–2008 redevelopment, the food court was moved to the lower level beneath a large skylight. Later expansion plans also called for a row of restaurants, reinforcing food service as a central part of the property's mixed-use retail offer.
Entertainment
Multiplex cinema
Fairview Mall includes a multiplex cinema complex. The cinema was historically associated with the Rainbow Cinema format and forms part of the centre's entertainment offer alongside retail, dining and services.
Personal services
Personal style programme
The centre offers paid personal-style services that may include individual image consultations, personal shopping sessions and other customized assistance. This service layer extends Fairview Mall's positioning beyond conventional store-based shopping.
Brand decisions
2019
Former Sears site expansion and transit-access planStrategyBackground
Sears Canada's 2017 closure left a major anchor space available for redevelopment, while the mall sought to strengthen its restaurant and transit connections.
Action taken
Cadillac Fairview announced new restaurants, redevelopment of the former Sears box, improvements to the existing mall and a new pedestrian connection to the TTC.
Aftermath
The TTC pedestrian-access work was completed in 2023, and T&T Supermarket opened in the former Sears area in May 2023.
2006
Launch of a comprehensive mall modernizationStrategyBackground
Fairview Mall required a substantial update to its public areas, entrances, retail offer and food-service layout.
Action taken
The operator began a multi-phase redevelopment that expanded key stores, relocated the food court, improved entrances and introduced more open interior finishes and skylight-based natural lighting.
Aftermath
The work was completed in late 2008 and was followed by additional fashion, beauty and specialty-store openings and frontage improvements.
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