Avalon Mall


The Avalon Mall is a Canadian shopping mall located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador on Kenmount Road. With over, two floors, and 142 stores, it is the largest shopping mall in Newfoundland and Labrador. The mall opened in 1967 and is owned by Crombie REIT.

History

The Avalon Mall underwent major extensions in 1977, 1987 and 1999. In the late-1980s and early-1990s low retail performance promoted mall management to embark on major renovation programs. Department store Ayre and Sons became The Gap in 1991, but then renovated in early 2018 once more to become Charm Diamond Centres, Claire's, The Source, and Jump Plus. In 2005, the food court, washrooms, entrances and exterior of the mall underwent major renovations.
Some of the tenants of anchor locations include Winners/HomeSense and, until January 9, 2018, Sears. Sears was originally Woolco until 1994, then Walmart, which closed on January 25, 2005. In fall 2005 Sears opened and liquidated closing its store in the Mall location on January 9, 2018. Sobeys became Winners/HomeSense in spring 2006 with both Sobeys and Walmart moving to Kelsey Drive. Both Sears and Winners operated nearby at the Village Shopping Centre. The Sears store will be redeveloped into new stores.
In 1999, Empire Theatres closed its five-screen cinema then a Studio 12 theatre opened on the other end of the second floor. On June 27, 2013, Empire Theatres announced that it would be selling this theatre along with 23 others in Atlantic Canada to Cineplex Entertainment. Empire Theatres closed on October 22, 2013 and reopened as Cineplex Cinemas on October 25, 2013, then switched to the brand Scotiabank Theatre in November 2014. On February 28, 2018 it was announced that Cineplex would open The Rec Room in the mall in early 2019, which is adjacent to the Scotiabank Theatre. On April 18, 2019, it was officially opened and became the first location to open in Atlantic Canada.
Until provincial legalization of Sunday shopping in 1998, flea markets were common at the mall. This practice ended in December 2010, via mall management decision.