Eaton Centre is a name associated with shopping centres in Canada, originating with Eaton's, one of Canada's largest department store chains at the time that these malls were developed. Eaton's partnered with development companies throughout the 1970s and 1980s to develop downtown shopping malls in cities across Canada. Each mall contained an Eaton's store, or was in close proximity to an Eaton's store, and typically the mall itself carried the "Eaton Centre" name. These joint ventures were a significant retail development trend in Canada during that period.
With the demise of the Eaton's chain in 1999, and the retiring of the Eaton's name as a retail banner in 2002, most of these malls have been renamed, and most of these Eaton's store locations have been converted to Sears Canada stores. Some malls in smaller urban areas, which were typically the least successful of all the Eaton Centre developments, have been demolished or converted to other, non-retail uses. In 2014, Sears announced that it would close its Toronto Eaton Centre store, which was eventually converted into a Nordstrom, followed by vacating their head office in the upper levels after a bankruptcy liquidation. Only the Toronto and Montreal Eaton Centres have retained the "Eaton Centre" branding for their entire existence.
Current Eaton Centres
Toronto Eaton Centre, Toronto, Ontario: Opened in 1977, it is the largest of the Eaton Centres and one of Toronto's most visited tourist attractions. The mall sits on the site of the original store operated by Eaton's founder, Timothy Eaton, and the related Eaton's factories and mail order buildings. Montreal Eaton Centre, Montreal, Quebec: Opened in 1990 on Sainte-Catherine Street, it is Downtown Montreal's largest shopping mall. It is situated next to Eaton's former Montreal flagship store. When Eaton's closed in 1999, the former flagship location was renovated and reopened in 2002 as the Complexe Les Ailes mall (after the new anchor tenant Les Ailes de la Mode). In March 2014, mall owner Ivanhoe Cambridge announced that it would merge the Montreal Eaton Centre with the neighbouring Complexe Les Ailes and, contrary to a previously made statement, decided to preserve the "Montreal Eaton Centre" name. The merger and renovation, which was completed in 2020, restored the Eaton name to the former flagship store building.
Former Eaton Centres
Calgary Eaton Centre (now The CORE Shopping Centre), Calgary, Alberta: This downtown mall was constructed in the late 1980s, and required the demolition of the historic Eaton's store (Eaton's moved into larger premises in the new mall). Two facades of the old Eaton's store (1929–1980s) were preserved, and incorporated into the new retail podium. The "Calgary Eaton Centre" name was retained until 2010 (despite Eaton's departure in 2002) when it was dropped from marketing and branding efforts and renamed The CORE Shopping Centre. Edmonton Eaton Centre (now Edmonton City Centre), Edmonton, Alberta: After the demise of Eaton's, the Edmonton Eaton Centre and Edmonton Centre, two formerly independent malls, were redeveloped into one shopping complex, and The Bay, a former Eaton's competitor, moved into the former Woodward's store in 1993 then in 2002 moved into the former Eaton's store. Victoria Eaton Centre (now The Bay Centre), Victoria, British Columbia: When Eaton's went bankrupt, the former Eaton's store (1990–1999) in this mall was occupied for a short time by Sears Canada's "eatons" experiment, and afterwards by a Sears store. When Sears vacated the mall, the "Victoria Eaton Centre" was renamed to reflect the mall's new department store tenant, The Bay. Eaton Centre Metrotown (now Metropolis at Metrotown), Burnaby, British Columbia: The Eaton Centre Metrotown opened in 1989. With the departure of the Eaton's store a decade later, the Eaton Centre and the adjacent Metrotown Centre were incorporated into one megamall complex. Eaton Place (now Cityplace), Winnipeg, Manitoba: This shopping and office complex in downtown Winnipeg occupies the former Eaton's mail order warehouse, and is located behind the city's new arena, Canada Life Centre (the site of the former downtown Eaton's store, now demolished).