Hillcrest reveals its $90-million Glow Up transformation

Hillcrest celebrates with events benefitting Sandgate Women's Shelter and Boys and Girls Club of York Region

Newswire.ca
September 6, 2018

Hillcrest is celebrating its $90-million Glow Up with initiatives benefitting Sandgate Women's Shelter and Boys and Girls Club of York Region. Hillcrest's Glow Up transformation incorporates modernized flooring, lighting, ceiling treatments and upgraded food court. Its newly reconfigured north wing welcomes HomeSense/Marshalls (46,450 sq. ft.) on September 18, Old Navy (15,005 sq. ft.) on October 24 and Indigo (22,460 sq. ft.) this November.

Newly opened retailers include honey (3037 sq. ft.) and Swarovski (1213 sq. ft.) with Uncle Tetsu (440 sq. ft.) and Carbon (1286 sq. ft.) joining Hillcrest soon.

Glow Up (Noun): A dramatic before-and-after transformation

Hillcrest has improved inside and out, with new exterior façades and upgraded interior finishes. Structural glass vestibules have been installed at Entrance Six (north wing) with Entrance One (east wing) mirroring Entrance Two (south wing). Exterior walls are modernized with the north wing parking lot repaved to match the south and east wing. Inside, re-painted all-white ceilings and crown moulding bring new brightness to the centre. LED lighting is installed and complements existing skylights. New soft seating and flooring will enhance the new look. The food court's capacity has grown to 500 seats from 277.

"Hillcrest's $90-million interior and exterior facelift is elevating our shoppers' experience with an upgraded food court, comfortable seating and new amenities like baby bottle warming services, text-messaging concierge, complimentary diaper kits, portable cell phone chargers, electric car charging stations and Wi-Fi access." says Hillcrest general manager Ryan Da Silva. "We're excited to welcome brands like HomeSense/Marshalls, Indigo, Old Navy, Uncle Tetsu, honey and Swarovski to Hillcrest. Our trade area is expanding with new shoppers visiting from Markham, Woodbridge, Kleinburg and North York. With 6,500 nearby condo and townhouse units planned for development, Hillcrest is set to grow as a destination."

Hillcrest's transformation began in 2015 with Hudson's Bay expanding to 137,000 sq. ft. from 48,000 sq. ft., adding a new exterior facade. In 2016, Hillcrest revealed its south wing, welcoming Sporting Life (40,000 sq. ft.) and H&M (21,000 sq. ft.) adding West Coast Kids (17,000 sq. ft.) in July 2018. Last year, the centre upgraded its green footprint, improving its waste diversion rate by 85 per cent, installing electric car charging stations and a rainwater cistern for irrigation. Hillcrest is home to rooftop beehives, with over 57,000  bees pollinating gardens within a 5km radius to make Hillcrest Honey.

HomeSense Vignette for Sandgate Women's Shelter

As Hillcrest's appearance evolves, so is its social consciousness. Inspired by a visit to Sandgate's newly renovated Richmond Hill shelter, Hillcrest is creating a staged HomeSense vignette and Sandgate donation drive collecting housewares, toiletries, clothing, toys and books for domestic abuse survivors. Donations are accepted September 22 - October 5 at the centre court display and Guest Experience Kiosk afterwards. 

"We were surprised to find there's an increasing number of women and children seeking shelter from domestic violence in York Region. We're calling on all residents to donate new items to help survivors begin new lives." says Hillcrest Marketing Director, Lisa Resnic. "It was immediately apparent how we could help our community – we decided to take action and encourage Hillcrest retailers and customers to rally around local families by contributing to our donation drive. In addition to functioning as an emergency shelter, Sandgate is great at connecting women to affordable housing in the community. But, when they finally leave the shelter, women have little money to make their new, empty apartment a home. This is where we come in."

Visual artist, Jessgo (Jessica Gorlicky) is kicking off the campaign with a live painting performance on September 18 at Hillcrest's ribbon cutting event, coinciding with HomeSense/Marhsalls' opening. Visitors can attend the ceremony where Jessgo and DJ Carmelita will usher in Hillcrest's Sandgate initiative and SHERO campaign in partnership with Toronto Life celebrating local female heroes.

HTML-crest: Coding Corners at Old Navy

This fall, Hillcrest is hosting coding corner workshops benefitting Boys and Girls Club of York Region inside Old Navy. Visitors ages 5 -10 can sign up in advance and participate alongside club members to learn skills in coding, video game design and problem-solving.

Hello Indigo

Indigo brings its 'cultural department store' concept to Hillcrest – a physical meets digital place filled with books, music, art, ideas and beautifully designed lifestyle products. It will be moving to Hillcrest from its location at Yonge and High Tech Rd. and will include a Starbucks.