Hillside Shopping Centre

Hillside Shopping Centre, also known as Hillside Mall or Hillside Centre, is a commercial shopping centre in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It occupies a prominent urban site in the northeast corner of Victoria’s Oaklands neighbourhood, near the intersection of Shelbourne Street and Hillside Avenue. The centre is positioned close to Camosun College’s Lansdowne campus and within a short distance of the University of Victoria, giving it access to residential, student, educational, and commuter markets. Public transit routes connect the property with Downtown Victoria, Esquimalt, Oak Bay, and Saanich, while on-site parking accommodates more than 1,000 vehicles. The shopping centre opened in 1962 after the former rural and horticultural land was approved for retail development. Its site had previously been associated with Oaklands Nurseries, established by Swedish immigrants Andrew and Palla Ohlson after their arrival in British Columbia in 1875. The nursery operation, including substantial greenhouses, continued into the 1950s before the property transitioned toward commercial use. Hillside’s opening attracted more than 30,000 people and established it as an important retail destination in the Victoria area. Over subsequent decades, Hillside evolved from a traditional enclosed mall into a diversified shopping and services destination. A farm-style enclosed market was introduced in 1985 on the former site of a Safeway grocery store. That market included food vendors and glass patio seating, reflecting an early effort to broaden the centre’s offer beyond conventional retail. In 1996, the market area was redeveloped for Bolen Books, while a more conventional food court was added elsewhere in the property. A further redevelopment program began in 2011. The work included new two-storey structures, additional retail space, and improvements to the centre’s external environment. The redevelopment supported the arrival or expansion of large-format tenants, including Marshalls and, for a period, Target in space associated with the former Zellers store. Landscaping was also improved through the addition of trees and other vegetation in areas that had previously been dominated by paved parking surfaces. Hillside’s tenant mix combines national and regional retailers, grocery, sporting goods, apparel, books, pharmacy, financial services, food, and professional services. Major or notable occupants have included Walmart, Canadian Tire, Marshalls, Sport Chek and Atmosphere, Thrifty Foods, Bolen Books, Shoppers Drug Mart, Dollarama, BC Liquor Stores, and a food court with approximately 14 vendors. The centre has also accommodated medical and dental offices, banks, clothing and footwear retailers, and other personal and household services. This combination gives Hillside a practical, convenience-led positioning rather than a luxury or destination-shopping identity. The property has experienced significant anchor-store changes. Sears, which had been a long-standing tenant, closed its Hillside location in January 2018. Canadian Tire opened a large store at the centre in November 2016 after acquiring the lease associated with the former Target space. Walmart subsequently opened in the former Sears area on June 16, 2022. These changes reflect the broader transformation of Canadian shopping centres, in which department-store space has been reassigned to value retail, grocery, home, sporting, and big-box operators. Today, Hillside Shopping Centre functions as a multi-purpose retail and services hub for Victoria and nearby municipalities. Its competitive proposition rests on accessibility, a broad everyday-needs tenant base, established local recognition, proximity to educational institutions, transit connections, and continued adaptation of its physical space. It is an active shopping centre, although ownership, corporate group affiliation, financial information, and current executive leadership are not established in the supplied reference material.

The land occupied by Hillside Shopping Centre was originally associated with rural and horticultural activity. In the nineteenth century, Bowker Creek flowed through a largely forested area that later became part of Victoria’s Oaklands neighbourhood. Swedish immigrants Andrew and Palla Ohlson arrived in British Columbia in 1875 and established Oaklands Nurseries on the site. The nursery business, including several large greenhouses, remained active after their deaths in the 1930s and continued operating until the 1950s. As Victoria expanded, the property was approved for retail development. Hillside Mall officially opened in 1962, attracting more than 30,000 people on its opening day. The reported construction cost was approximately C$10 million, although the supplied reference material does not identify the developer or original owner. The centre became one of the area’s established enclosed retail destinations, anchored over time by major tenants including Safeway and Sears. The property changed incrementally as retail formats and customer expectations developed. In 1985, a farm-style enclosed market was created on the site of the Safeway location. The market included food vendors and glass patio seating, adding a more experiential and dining-oriented component to the mall. In 1996, the market was redeveloped into the space used by Bolen Books, and a separate, more traditional food court was introduced. A major modernization program began in 2011. The redevelopment added two-storey structures to accommodate new and expanding retailers, including Marshalls and Target. Target’s Canadian operation later closed in 2015, and Canadian Tire acquired the associated lease, opening what was described as its second-largest store in November 2016. The redevelopment also addressed the centre’s outdoor environment by adding trees and other vegetation to portions of the parking areas and improving landscaping. Sears remained a long-term anchor until its final closure at Hillside on January 9, 2018. The departure reflected the wider contraction of department-store retail in Canada and left a substantial space available for reuse. Walmart opened in that former Sears area on June 16, 2022, giving the centre a major value-oriented anchor and reinforcing its everyday-needs positioning. Hillside Shopping Centre is located near several important transportation and institutional destinations. Shelbourne Street borders the property to the east and Hillside Avenue to the south. The centre is less than one kilometre west of Camosun College’s Lansdowne campus and approximately three kilometres southwest of the University of Victoria. Regional bus services connect the mall with Downtown Victoria, Esquimalt, Oak Bay, and Saanich. With more than 100 shops and services, a food court of approximately 14 vendors, and parking for over 1,000 vehicles, the centre continues to operate as a diversified retail and community services hub. The supplied sources do not establish its current owner, corporate parent, executive team, or detailed renovation completion date.

• 2022

  Walmart opens

  [1]Hillside Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Walmart opened in the former Sears space on June 16, adding a major general-merchandise anchor to the centre.

• 2018

  Sears closes

  [1]Hillside Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  The Sears store at Hillside closed permanently on January 9 after serving as a long-standing anchor.

• 2016

  Canadian Tire opens

  [1]Hillside Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Canadian Tire opened a large Hillside store in November, occupying space associated with the former Target location.

• 2015

  Target exits the centre

  [1]Hillside Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Target closed its Hillside location as the retailer withdrew from Canada; the related lease was later acquired by Canadian Tire.

• 2011

  Major modernization begins

  [1]Hillside Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  A redevelopment program began, adding two-storey retail structures, supporting new tenants, and improving landscaping around the parking areas.

• 1996

  Market area is redeveloped

  [1]Hillside Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  The former market space was converted for Bolen Books, while a more conventional food court was added to the centre.

• 1985

  Farm-style market is added

  [1]Hillside Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  An enclosed farm-style market with food vendors and glass patio seating replaced the former Safeway area.

• 1962

  Hillside Mall opens

  [1]Hillside Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Hillside Mall officially opened as an enclosed shopping centre, drawing more than 30,000 people on opening day.

• 1950

  Nursery use ends

  [1]Hillside Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  The Oaklands Nurseries operation and its greenhouse-based horticultural use continued into the 1950s before the property transitioned toward retail development.

• 1875

  Ohlson family arrives in British Columbia

  [1]Hillside Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Andrew and Palla Ohlson arrived in British Columbia and later established Oaklands Nurseries on the land that would eventually become the shopping-centre site.

A broad, accessible community shopping centre focused on everyday retail, grocery, dining, services, and large-format tenants for Victoria-area residents, students, commuters, and nearby neighbourhoods.

• Department and discount retail · 2022

  General merchandise retail

  Walmart represents the centre’s principal general-merchandise offer, providing a broad range of household, grocery, apparel, personal, and everyday consumer products from the former Sears anchor location.

• Automotive, hardware, and home retail · 2016

  Canadian Tire

  Canadian Tire provides automotive products and services, hardware, seasonal merchandise, sporting goods, household items, and home-improvement products. Its large Hillside store opened in 2016.

• Grocery and prepared food

  Grocery and food retail

  Thrifty Foods serves grocery and food-shopping needs, while the centre’s food court offers prepared meals and beverages from approximately 14 vendors. The site has hosted several food-oriented formats during its history.

• Apparel and footwear

  Fashion and value apparel

  Apparel and footwear retailers, including Marshalls and other clothing and shoe stores, contribute value-focused and practical fashion options to the centre’s tenant mix.

• Sporting goods and outdoor equipment

  Sport Chek and Atmosphere

  Sport Chek and Atmosphere provide sporting goods, athletic apparel, footwear, equipment, and outdoor-oriented merchandise for recreational and active-lifestyle customers.

• Books and media · 1996

  Bolen Books

  Bolen Books occupies space created through the 1996 redevelopment of the former farm-style market. It provides books and related reading and educational products and is a distinctive regional component of the centre’s retail mix.

• Services

  Health, pharmacy, and professional services

  Shoppers Drug Mart, medical and dental offices, banks, and other service businesses broaden Hillside’s role beyond merchandise retail and support routine healthcare, financial, and personal-service visits.

• 2022

  Replace Sears with WalmartProduct launch

  Background

  Sears closed its Hillside location in January 2018, leaving a major anchor space available for redevelopment or re-leasing.

  Action taken

  Walmart opened in the former Sears space on June 16, 2022.

  Aftermath

  The centre regained a major general-merchandise anchor and expanded its convenience and value-retail proposition.

  Source

• 2016

  Add a large Canadian Tire storeProduct launch

  Background

  Following Target’s departure from Canada, the associated Hillside retail space became available for a replacement anchor.

  Action taken

  Canadian Tire acquired the lease and opened a large store at Hillside in November 2016.

  Aftermath

  The new tenant strengthened the centre’s automotive, hardware, home, and seasonal-goods offer.

  Source

• 2011

  Modernize the centre and add larger retail formatsStrategy

  Background

  Hillside began a substantial redevelopment program as shopping-centre competition and tenant requirements changed.

  Action taken

  The centre added two-storey structures, created space for larger retailers, and improved landscaping by introducing more trees and vegetation into previously paved areas.

  Aftermath

  The work supported the arrival or expansion of tenants such as Marshalls and Target and contributed to the centre’s updated physical identity.

  Source

1. 1Hillside Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Hillside Shopping Centre official websitehillsidecentre.com