Highfield Square

Highfield Square, also known as Highfield Square Shopping Centre, was an enclosed shopping mall in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. It served as a central retail and services destination for the city and, at its peak, contained more than 60 stores and services. The property was owned and operated by Crombie REIT for part of its later history and was eventually sold to the City of Moncton. The centre's tenant mix combined department-store, grocery, pharmacy, apparel, food-service, entertainment, and specialty-retail uses. Its principal anchors over time included Hudson's Bay, which occupied space previously associated with Eaton's, as well as Sobeys, The Met, and Shoppers Drug Mart. Other recognizable tenants included RadioShack and Reitmans. The Famous Players Highfield Cinema opened in 1969 and was an important entertainment component of the complex during its earlier years. After the cinema closed in 1979, its former space was repurposed as a large food court. The food court included restaurants and quick-service operators such as Pizza Delight, A&W, Deluxe, Tim Hortons, and Ed's Sub. The mall also used a bear mascot named Hifie, giving the property a family-oriented identity beyond its tenant brands. Highfield Square ultimately ceased operating as a shopping mall. Demolition began in August 2014 after the property had been transferred to municipal ownership. The site was subsequently redeveloped as the Avenir Centre, a major sports and events venue in downtown Moncton. The redevelopment marked the end of Highfield Square as a retail complex, while preserving the site's broader role in the city's central urban landscape. Because the available reference material does not establish a precise opening year, founding entity, or complete ownership chronology, those details remain unspecified.

Highfield Square was an enclosed shopping centre located in Moncton, New Brunswick. It became a recognizable part of the city's retail landscape by combining department-store and grocery anchors with smaller shops, services, restaurants, and entertainment. The available reference material does not provide a definitive opening date or identify the original developer, so the mall's initial formation cannot be dated precisely here. During its operating life, Highfield Square developed a broad tenant base. Its major anchors included Hudson's Bay, which had previously been associated with Eaton's, Sobeys, The Met, and Shoppers Drug Mart. The centre also housed national and regional retailers such as RadioShack and Reitmans. This mix positioned the property as a general-purpose shopping destination rather than a narrowly specialized retail centre. Entertainment was an important part of the complex's history. Famous Players Highfield Cinema opened in 1969, providing a movie venue within the shopping-centre environment. When the cinema closed in 1979, the former theatre area was converted into a large food court. The replacement space hosted several restaurant operators, including Pizza Delight, A&W, Deluxe, Tim Hortons, and Ed's Sub. The mall's family-oriented identity was reinforced by Hifie the Bear, its mascot. At its peak, the mall contained more than 60 stores and services. In its later period, the property was owned and operated by Crombie REIT. The centre eventually faced closure and a change in ownership, with the property sold to the City of Moncton. Rather than being retained as a shopping mall, the site was selected for a major urban redevelopment project. Demolition began in August 2014. The former mall property was subsequently transformed into the Avenir Centre, a sports and events facility. This conversion ended Highfield Square's life as a retail complex and represented a significant change in the site's function within downtown Moncton. Highfield Square is therefore best understood as a defunct local shopping-centre brand and place identity whose physical site was repurposed for civic and entertainment infrastructure.

• 2014

  Demolition begins

  [1]Highfield Squareen.wikipedia.org

  Demolition of Highfield Square began in August as the property moved toward redevelopment.

• 1979

  Cinema space converted into a food court

  [1]Highfield Squareen.wikipedia.org

  After Highfield Cinema closed, its former space was converted into a large food court with multiple restaurant tenants.

• 1969

  Famous Players Highfield Cinema opens

  [1]Highfield Squareen.wikipedia.org

  The Famous Players Highfield Cinema opened within the shopping-centre complex, adding a major entertainment use to the retail property.

• Site redeveloped as the Avenir Centre

  [1]Highfield Squareen.wikipedia.org

  The former mall site was converted into the Avenir Centre, ending its use as an enclosed shopping centre.

A centrally located enclosed shopping centre serving Moncton residents with a broad mix of everyday retail, services, dining, and entertainment.

• Retail

  Department-store retail

  Highfield Square supported department-store shopping through major anchor tenants. Hudson's Bay was a principal anchor during the mall's history and occupied space previously associated with Eaton's, providing broad merchandise categories typical of a department store.

• Food retail

  Grocery retail

  Sobeys operated as one of the centre's major anchors, adding everyday grocery shopping to the mall's broader retail and services mix.

• Pharmacy

  Pharmacy and health retail

  Shoppers Drug Mart was among the named major tenants, contributing pharmacy, personal-care, and convenience-oriented shopping to the centre.

• Food service · 1979

  Food court

  Following the closure of the former cinema in 1979, the space was converted into a large food court. Named operators included Pizza Delight, A&W, Deluxe, Tim Hortons, and Ed's Sub.

• Entertainment · 1969

  Highfield Cinema

  Famous Players Highfield Cinema opened in 1969 as an entertainment anchor within the shopping-centre complex. It later closed, and the former cinema area was repurposed as a food court.

• 2014

  Redevelop the mall site as the Avenir CentreStrategy

  Background

  The former shopping centre was no longer retained as a retail complex and was selected for a major redevelopment.

  Action taken

  Demolition began in August 2014, followed by conversion of the property into the Avenir Centre.

  Aftermath

  The site became a sports and events venue, formally ending Highfield Square's existence as a shopping centre.

  Source

• 1979

  Convert the former cinema into a food courtStrategy

  Background

  The Highfield Cinema had closed, leaving a substantial former entertainment space within the mall.

  Action taken

  The former cinema area was repurposed as a large food court featuring several restaurant operators.

  Aftermath

  The conversion changed the space from cinema entertainment to dining and supported the mall's food-service offering.

  Source

• Sell the property to the City of MonctonM&A

  Background

  After Highfield Square's operating period under Crombie REIT, the property was transitioned to municipal ownership.

  Action taken

  Crombie REIT sold the property to the City of Moncton.

  Aftermath

  Municipal ownership enabled the site to be redeveloped rather than continuing as a shopping mall.

  Source

1. 1Highfield Squareen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Highfield Square reference page22864.vws.magma.ca