You probably don’t know, but Canada has some of the biggest malls in North America by square footage, and even the entire American continent. These malls house premium brands, designer brands, bespoke styling stores, restaurants, wineries, bars, concierge services, and even sports/recreational activity centers.
If you’re going to travel to Canada, or maybe you’re in Canada and want to know what’s around, here are the biggest shopping centers across the country, where you can go shop for literally anything. You could get lucky with some gift card discount cards or catch up with the plethora of recurring individual store promos.
The Top 10 Canadian Shopping Malls Ranked By Sales Per Square Foot
According to recent ICSC reports, here are Canada’s foremost shopping malls by sales per square foot. This refers to the average sales revenue generated by a square foot store over a year, in the specified top malls.
1. Yorkdale, Toronto
- Owner: Oxford Properties
- Average Sales Per Sq.Ft: $1,970 – $2,402
- Year Opened: 1964
- Number of Stores: 240
- Average Annual Visitors: 18 million
The Yorkdale shopping center in Toronto, Ontario, is the most profitable mall in which to own a store in Canada. Owned by Oxford Properties, the average square foot store in Yorkdale Mall makes an average of $2,000 revenue.
In fact, according to ICSC, it was up to $2,402 as of 2024. The Yorkdale houses the highest number of luxury and designer brands’ official stores in Canada, including global phenomenal names like Dior, Saint Laurent, Loro Piana, Tiffany, Holt Renfrew, Gucci, and others.
2. CF Pacific Centre, Vancouver, BC
- Owner: Cadillac Fairview
- Average Sales Per Sq.Ft: $1,600 – $1,865
- Year Opened: 1971
- Number of Stores: 86
- Average Annual Visitors: 23 million
Here’s one of Cadillac Fairview’s best malls. Actually, Cadillac Fairview owns many top malls across Canada. This one, the CF Pacific Centre, is one of the best shopping centers in British Columbia. The average sq. ft. store in the CF Pacific Center generates up to $1,700 revene.
The mall is located downtown Vancouver; its roster includes Vancouver’s top Holt Renfrew store and a lot of other luxury stores. The shopping center sure has plenty of attractive and productivity-boosting amenities.
3. CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Ontario
- Owner: Cadillac Fairview
- Average Sales Per Sq.Ft: $1,457 – $1,500
- Year Opened: 1977
- Number of Stores: 330
- Average Annual Visitors: 50 million
Although ranked third in terms of sales per square foot, the CF Toronto Eaton Centre generates more total annual revenue than Yorkdale. It is Canada’s busiest mall, hosting over 40 million visitors yearly, and is owned by Cadillac Fairview.
The Eaton Centers hosts a mix of major brands and premium service providers. You would find the Hudson’s Bay, Saks Off 5th, La Maison Simons, and a lot of others here.
4. Southgate Centre, Edmonton, Alberta
- Owner: Ivanhoé Cambridge (JLL)
- Average Sales Per Sq.Ft: $1,324 – $1,454
- Year Opened: 1970
- Number of Stores: 160
- Average Annual Visitors: 9.2 million
Owned by Ivanhoé Cambridge, the Southgate Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, is another top mall to own a store in Canada. It’s relatively small in landmass, covering around 80,000 square metres of retail space, with about 160 stores in total available to retailers.
The mall is home to Edmonton’s only Restoration Hardware and Crate & Barrel, and top brands like Uniqlo, Winners, Apple Store, H&M, London Drugs, and Dollarama.
5. Sherway Gardens, Toronto (Etobicoke), Ontario
- Owner: Cadillac Fairview
- Average Sales Per Sq.Ft: $1,099 – $1,160
- Year Opened: 1971
- Number of Stores: 215
- Average Annual Visitors: 8.7 million
We are looking at another Cadillac Fairview investment; this one is being developed by the Canada-based Sherway Centre Limited, a subsidiary of Maryland-based The Rouse Company. With about 215 stores planned across 1,197,417 square feet of retail space, the Sherway Gardens is one of the biggest malls in all of Canada.
The average retail store in this mall generates around $1,160. Sherway Gardens is a high-end suburban Toronto mall with lots of affluent catchments.
6. CF Richmond Centre
- Owner: Cadillac Fairview
- Average Sales Per Sq.Ft: $1,088 – $1,200
- Year Opened: 1965
- Number of Stores: 183
- Average Annual Visitors: 13.2 million
One of the oldest malls in Canada, formerly Richmond Square. The CF Richmon Centre is home to 183 outlets, which generate an average of $1,100 per square foot. This major suburban mall in Metro Vancouver houses stores like the Simons, Saks Off 5th, Apple, and many others.
Currently, the site is being densified with new residential towers, turning the mall into a mixed-use hub to draw more traffic and increase revenue generation for the stores.
7. CF Chinook Centre, Calgary, Alberta
- Owner: Cadillac Fairview
- Average Sales Per Sq.Ft: $1,070 – $1,300
- Year Opened: 1960
- Number of Stores: 242
- Average Annual Visitors: 15 million
You’re looking at the largest shopping mall in Calgary, the Chinook Centre, covering 1,377,768 square feet of space, and attracting up to 15 million shoppers annually. The mall is located near the geographic centre of Macleod Trail city, north of Glenmore Trail.
There are up to 250 stores and restaurants in Chinook Center, with its roster including top brands like Scotiabank Theatre, Sport Chek, Sport Chek Women, Chapters, Urban Outfitters, Apple Store, Hudson’s Bay, LEGO, and dining destinations.
8. Square One, Mississauga, Ontario
- Owner: Oxford Properties/AIMCo
- Average Sales Per Sq.Ft: $1,060 – $1,280
- Year Opened: 1973
- Number of Stores: 360
- Average Annual Visitors: 24 million
You’re looking at one of the most aesthetically pleasing shopping malls in Canada, owned by the renowned Oxford Properties group. Opened in 1973, this is equally one of the oldest malls in North America.
In 2024, ICSC reported that in the 2023 business year, the sales per square foot in Square One in 2023 were at an average of $1,286/ft²; however, recent reports indicate that the revenue has dropped to around $1,060 per square foot. Of course, the mall is home to a mix of premium designer brands and globally renowned luxury brands.
9. Metropolis at Metrotown, Burnaby, BC
- Owner: Ivanhoé Cambridge (JLL)
- Average Sales Per Sq.Ft: $1,030 – $1,150
- Year Opened: 1986
- Number of Stores: 362
- Average Annual Visitors: 28 million
Really, the busiest mall to visit in British Columbia, and one that has an enormous number of retail outlets, up to 362. Metropolis at Metrotown (simply referred to as Metrotown) is a three-storey shopping centre in Burnaby.
It’s been around for many decades and is ranked as the third-largest in all of Canada, coming right behind Square One (2nd largest) and Alberta’s West Edmonton Mall (the #1 largest). An estimated 28 million people come to shop in this mall yearly, from around the world.
10. Le Centre Eaton de Montréal, Québec
- Owner: Ivanhoé Cambridge
- Average Sales Per Sq.Ft: $983 – $1,145
- Year Opened: 1990
- Number of Stores: 137
- Average Annual Visitors: 21.1 million
Last on our list is the Le Centre Eaton, in Montreal, Quebec. This mall gets a lot of traffic and is home to Nike’s flagship outlet, Canada’s largest Uniqlo, and a TIME OUT food hall.
Of course, it has other popular stores, wineries, and premium retail chain outlets. There’s a monumental bronze statue of hockey player Ken Dryden and a three-storey-tall tableau structure in the mall.
What More?
There are over 30 top malls in the whole of Canada, but these are the biggest, practically the most profitable to rent an outlet, in Canada, ranked by sales per square foot. These malls house many luxury and designer brands, as well as 5-star restaurants, wineries, and bars.
