Markville Shopping Centre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
CF Markville

CF Markville entrance in 2017
Location	Markham, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates	43°52′08″N 79°17′17″W / 43.869°N 79.288°W / 43.869; -79.288
Opening date	March 17, 1982; 43 years ago (March 17, 1982)
Developer	JDS Development
Management	Cadillac Fairview
Owner	Cadillac Fairview
No. of stores and services	over 140
No. of anchor tenants	9
Total retail floor area	981,000 square feet (91,100 m2)
No. of floors	2
Public transit access	Routes 1 Highway 7, 40 Unionville Local, 41 Markham Local, 45 Mingay Toronto Transit Commission  129

CF Markville, also known as Markville Shopping Centre, is a large shopping mall located in Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is owned by Cadillac Fairview. You can find it where Highway 7 East and McCowan Road meet.

The mall has over 140 stores. Some of its main stores, called "anchors," include Hudson's Bay, Winners, Walmart Supercentre, Sporting Life, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH, Marshalls, Uniqlo, Best Buy, and a Toys "R" Us/Babies "R" Us store. CF Markville has a total shopping area of about 91,137 square meters (981,000 sq ft). It was the biggest mall in York Region until Vaughan Mills opened in 2004.

History of CF Markville

Early Days and Development

CF Markville first opened its doors on March 17, 1982. A company called JDS Development built the mall. It was named "Markville" because it was close to the old villages of Markham and Unionville. These villages are now part of the city of Markham.

Before the mall was built, the land was used as a plant nursery. It took about 20 years after the land was bought for construction to begin. There were plans to build tall buildings and government offices around the mall, but these plans did not happen.

Mall Expansions and Changes

When the mall first opened, the ground floor had a cool artificial waterway. In 1991, the mall went through a big renovation and expansion. This happened because more American stores were starting to open in Canada.

During this expansion, major stores like Sears and Hudson's Bay were added. The size of the mall almost doubled, growing from about 46,451 square meters (500,000 sq ft) to over 83,612 square meters (900,000 sq ft). Since 1997, the mall has been owned by Cadillac Fairview.

New Stores and Renovations

The Best Buy store that opened in 2003 used to be a supermarket. Walmart joined the mall in 1994, taking up two levels. They made their lower level bigger in 2004, and the upper level became a Winners store.

From 2011 to 2013, CF Markville had a huge renovation that cost $111 million. A company called EllisDon did the work. This renovation aimed to bring new and exciting brands to Canada and the Greater Toronto Area.

Many parts of the mall were updated, including new glass railings, flooring, and washrooms. The old rivers on the lower level were removed. About 24,944 square meters (268,000 sq ft) of existing store spaces were also updated for high-end shops. The renovation used a lot of new flooring and glass handrails.

A new food court, called the "Express Eatery," opened on August 23, 2012. It is about 4,180 square meters (45,000 sq ft) in size and is located on the lower level, near where the Sears store used to be. The old food court on the upper level was changed into new shop spaces.

Changes in Anchor Stores

The Sears store at Markville closed on February 28, 2015. The upper part of the old Sears space became Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH, which opened on March 8, 2018. The lower part of the space became Marshalls, opening on September 24, 2019.

Sport Chek closed in 2012 and was replaced by Forever 21. Forever 21 then closed in the spring of 2018. This made way for the Japanese clothing store Uniqlo to open one of its new Canadian locations on October 12, 2018.

Some Chinese retailers have also opened stores in the mall. These include Lukfook Jewellery from Hong Kong, Osim, and Miniso from China.

How to Get to CF Markville

It's easy to get to CF Markville using public transportation. You can take York Region Transit (YRT)/Viva buses, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) buses, and GO Transit trains or buses.

Gallery

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  CF Markville Atrium

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  Old CF Markville food court before it was relocated in 2012

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  Tesla Chargers in CF Markville

Main Stores (Anchors)

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  Hudson's Bay

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  Walmart

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  Best Buy

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  Winners and Former HomeSense

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  Sporting Life

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  Former Sears

Images for kids

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  Apple Store