A local ownership group has gone shopping for the Portage la Prairie Mall. Barry Wright was in high school when the mall opened in 1979. He says it was an active place. “Just lots of different stores, clothing stores, and there was a food court. It was kind of a meeting place in Portage,” said Wright. But over the years, stores started closing or pulling out of the mall, including anchor tenants Safeway and Walmart, which was originally Woolco. Finally, in December 2024, the mall closed for good, leaving one business open that was physically connected to the building. “There’s not much left here other than the Rona,” said Wright. Rona occupies the area where Walmart used to be. Now, the owners of that Rona are part of a local group that has purchased the mall. Mayor Sharilyn Knox says the sale has created a lot of excitement about the future of the site. “We’re just thrilled that local ownership has purchased it,” said Knox. “As a council, it’s been on our sort of radar and agenda.” The parking lot already has a Tim Hortons, and a Wendy’s is under construction. Knox is confident a successful development could rise at the site. She says a study is currently underway to determine what the city is missing, including in the retail sector. “We know we’ll have some really good data for that ownership to be able to talk about, you know, what some possibilities are,” said Knox. What the new owners will do with the building remains unclear—whether it could reopen as a mall, be converted to other types of storefronts, or be redeveloped into something else entirely. Still, retail analyst Bruce Winder says malls are making a comeback. “Particularly for younger consumers, so what they call Gen Z and Gen Alpha... from teenage folks up to mid-20s,” said Winder. No matter what becomes of the mall building, Wright is hopeful the sale will lead to something new. “I think it would be good for Portage to get some businesses back at this end of town,” said Wright.
