In a press release statement that Oakville News reported on March 31, 2026, a project spokesperson described the goal at Oakville Place as "to create more than just a supermarket or entertainment centre." The building in question is the former Hudson's Bay at the mall, closed since June 2025.
For College Park, the bigger change is how often people will have a reason to go there. A department store drew most households in a few times a year. The plan for that space puts a full supermarket on the main floor. Nations Experience's own description of how the concept works says grocery is what brings people back each week. The other part of the story is timing. The project is opening in stages, and its schedule has already moved twice.
How the opening date has moved
As of mid-October 2026, the mall's own Nations Experience page lists the hours as "Coming Soon" and still promises a Fall 2026 opening for Unit MAJ2. No opening day has been announced. Here is how the timeline has changed in public reports:
| Date reported | Source | What it said about timing |
|---|---|---|
| November 14, 2025 | Oakville News, reposting the Nations release | Construction to begin late 2026, opening in 2027 |
| March 31, 2026 | Oakville News | Construction underway, opening "later this fall 2026" |
| April 2, 2026 | Retail Insider | Possession taken, construction to begin shortly, broader opening in Fall 2026, some entertainment possibly into 2027 |
| October 7, 2026 | Retail Insider | Still described as a redevelopment in progress |
The April entry matters most for residents. In Retail Insider's possession report, Frank Ho, Vice President of Real Estate Development for Nations Experience, gave Fall 2026 for the broader opening and said some entertainment elements could extend into 2027. That means the first opening may cover only part of the building.
Hiring is another sign of an opening, and it hasn't happened yet. In March, Oakville News said hiring details would come "in the coming months." Right now, the mall's jobs page lists seasonal holiday roles for Cherry Hill's Santa photos and nothing for Nations. A store this size usually hires in a public way before it opens, so a Nations job posting for this location would be a good sign the opening is close.
What goes on each floor
The former Bay is about 120,000 square feet over two levels. Nations plans to use the two floors for different things.
- Main floor, Nations supermarket. Ho told Retail Insider the lower level will hold the grocery and prepared-food sections, including produce, seafood and meat, plus a wide range of international food that fits the brand's "Where East Meets West" positioning.
- Upper floor, Forever Young. The entertainment level is expected to include indoor play areas, arcade games, virtual reality, and spaces for events and group visits.
Ho's own explanation of how the two floors fit together supports the idea of a weekly stop. In Retail Insider's account, grocery drives regular visits, prepared food "adds energy and immediacy," and the entertainment floor gives customers a reason to stay longer. Retail Insider's October 7 report says Ho described the format as built around food, entertainment, frequency and dwell time.
Most closed department stores are handled differently. Ho noted that many have been split into smaller units or used for limited purposes. The plan for Oakville Place keeps the whole box together and aims to bring back steady traffic at the same scale. Retail Insider sees the same thing in the national trend. The Oakville project stands out because it uses grocery and entertainment together to fill an entire former anchor.
What the existing Nations locations show
The Oakville menu hasn't been published. Nations does already run this kind of store in the GTA, though, and those locations show what the format looks like.
Its Nations Experience at Stock Yards Village, 1980 St. Clair Avenue West in Toronto, has combined multicultural grocery, food and entertainment since 2017. Across its stores, Nations lists prepared-food counters for salads, burgers, sushi, Eastern and Western kitchens, juice and bubble tea, along with a bakery, a deli and Chinese BBQ. That list describes the chain as a whole. It is not a confirmed lineup for Oakville Place.
The closest model for the upstairs is Forever Young Entertainment at Centerpoint Mall in Toronto. It fills about 55,000 square feet of former Target space with arcade gaming, virtual reality, golf simulators, interactive sports, children's play areas, party rooms, and food and drink. The Oakville building is about 120,000 square feet in total, with the entertainment on one of its two levels. Golf simulators and the full Centerpoint lineup haven't been promised for Oakville Place. Indoor play, arcade, VR and event space are the features named for this location.
The nearest existing Nations store for anyone in Oakville is in Mississauga, at 2933-B Eglinton Avenue West. Until the Oakville store opens, that is the closest place to see the format in person.
The rest of the mall directory
The Bay space is the biggest project at Oakville Place, but it isn't the only one. Retail Insider describes the mall as repositioning itself with new anchors and tenants after major changes to its lineup. The Oakville Place directory groups upcoming stores by date. Campus 13 is listed as "Opening Soon," and Carter's OshKosh and Cellicon are listed under "Opening 2027."
So the mall's own listings run into next year, which lines up with the April note that parts of the Nations entertainment floor may also slip into 2027. The mall is being refilled in stages, and the work will likely continue past this winter.
For the holiday season, the mall's hiring is about Santa. Cherry Hill is filling a seasonal holiday retail manager role and four seasonal sales associate positions for Santa photos at Oakville Place.
Across Trafalgar Road in December
The other big draw near the mall this season is at Sheridan College's Trafalgar campus, 1430 Trafalgar Road. Theatre Sheridan has two musicals running at the same time in December:
- Company, December 5 to 18, 2026, in the Studio Theatre
- The Addams Family, December 9 to 18, 2026, in Macdonald Heaslip Hall
Both shows run through December 18, and from December 9 on they overlap. On those nights the campus will have two audiences arriving on the same evenings. Theatre Sheridan also offers a discount and early access to next season's announcement to anyone who buys tickets to two or more full-scale musicals. Its October run of First Drafts, a set of workshop presentations of The Chrysalids and Trembler's Waltz, ended October 17. December is the next chance to see a show there.
Until Nations names a date, the mall's Nations page and the Theatre Sheridan schedule are the two places to check for what's coming to this stretch of Trafalgar Road. The Nations page still reads "Coming Soon" and the Fall 2026 window is still listed. Retail Insider has said any part of the upper floor that isn't ready could open in 2027.
The Bay's replacement will affect everyday errands in College Park, and it may also shape how buyers see the area around Oakville Place. If you're thinking about how changes like this fit with a move or a sale nearby, Bernard Team can walk you through what we're seeing around Trafalgar Road and Leighland. Schedule a consultation with us.
