Northland Village Mall
A Calgary shopping centre that was redeveloped from an enclosed regional mall into an open-air retail complex and rebranded as Northland.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Northland Village Mall is a shopping centre in northwest Calgary, Alberta, Canada, at the intersection of Crowchild Trail and Shaganappi Trail. It serves the surrounding communities, including Brentwood and Dalhousie, and has historically functioned as a regional retail destination rather than as a single-store retail brand. The centre opened in 1971 and was originally developed as a conventional enclosed shopping mall. Before its redevelopment, the property contained more than 60 shops and services in a predominantly single-level indoor layout, with a smaller two-level section. Its reported gross leasable area was approximately 510,000 square feet (47,000 square metres). The centre's retail identity has changed repeatedly as major Canadian department-store and discount-retail formats evolved. Eaton's was the principal north-side anchor until 1999, after which the space was occupied by Future Shop. Future Shop operated near a Best Buy store for a period, reflecting the two brands' common ownership and overlapping consumer-electronics offer before Future Shop was discontinued in 2015. The property also included a Walmart store, originally associated with the Woolco format, as well as Winners. Other retail and service uses occupied the smaller shop units. Northland was expanded and renovated during the early 2000s. A 2003 project accommodated the arrival of Best Buy as a major anchor. In 2005, a bargain cinema was converted into Designer Depot, an off-price retail concept associated with the Hudson's Bay Company and described as the company's first Western Canadian location. These changes broadened the centre's value-oriented and large-format retail mix. The shopping centre also received a 1998 MAXI Award for a program intended to assist adults experiencing poverty, indicating that its role extended beyond ordinary leasing and retail operations into community programming. A much more substantial transformation began in 2021. Most of the interior mall was closed in November of that year in preparation for redevelopment. Reconstruction began in January 2022, and demolition of the enclosed mall structure started in May 2023. The project aimed to convert the property from an indoor mall into an open-air shopping centre, a process sometimes described as de-malling. Some major tenants, including Walmart and Best Buy, continued operating during the work. In early 2024, the centre adopted the shorter name Northland to reflect the physical and commercial changes, although Northland Village Mall remains the canonical historical and encyclopedic name. The partially shuttered mall also attracted attention as a filming location. In January 2022, corridors at the site were used during production of the television series The Last of Us, standing in for a post-apocalyptic environment. Today, Northland is best understood as an active, evolving Calgary retail complex whose identity is defined by large-format anchors, everyday shopping and services, and a transition from an enclosed 1970s-era mall to an open-air format.
History
Northland Village Mall opened in Calgary in 1971 as an enclosed shopping centre serving northwest Calgary. Its location at Crowchild Trail and Shaganappi Trail placed it near the communities of Brentwood and Dalhousie and gave it access to major arterial roads. The original centre developed as a regional mall with a large enclosed retail area, more than 60 shops and services, and approximately 510,000 square feet of gross leasable area. For much of its early history, the centre's principal anchors reflected the department-store structure of Canadian retail. Eaton's occupied the north side of the mall until 1999. After Eaton's departure, the space became a Future Shop location. Future Shop operated close to Best Buy for several years, despite the two businesses carrying similar consumer-electronics products and being under common ownership. Future Shop ultimately disappeared as a retail brand in 2015. Walmart, which had previously been associated with the Woolco format at the site, and Winners became other important anchors. The property underwent a renovation in 2003 that supported the arrival of Best Buy as a major anchor. A further 2005 project converted a bargain cinema into Designer Depot, an off-price retail store associated with the Hudson's Bay Company. The location was identified as the company's first Designer Depot store in Western Canada. These interventions demonstrated the centre's adaptation to changing retail demand, particularly the growth of big-box electronics, discount apparel, and value-focused shopping. Northland also pursued community-oriented initiatives. In 1998, it received a MAXI Award for a program designed to help adults living in poverty. The recognition is part of the centre's documented history and distinguishes its activity from purely commercial leasing operations. By the early 2020s, the owners and operators began a fundamental physical transformation. In November 2021, most of the interior mall closed in advance of redevelopment. Reconstruction began in January 2022, and demolition of the enclosed structure followed in May 2023. The objective was to create an open-air shopping centre rather than retain the former indoor mall configuration. Some anchor stores, notably Walmart and Best Buy, continued trading while the redevelopment proceeded. The closed interior also became a temporary production setting. In January 2022, filming for the television series The Last of Us took place in the mall's shuttered corridors, which were used to portray a post-apocalyptic environment. This brought the property wider public attention during the period in which it was being dismantled and rebuilt. In early 2024, the centre was rebranded simply as Northland. The shorter name was intended to correspond with the property's new open-air identity and the scale of its redevelopment. The historical name Northland Village Mall remains widely used when referring to the former enclosed mall and is the title of the canonical Wikipedia subject. Northland therefore represents a retail property in transition: from a conventional 1970s indoor regional mall to a modern open-air centre anchored by large-format retailers and serving everyday shopping needs in northwest Calgary.
- 2024
Rebrand to Northland
[1]The shopping centre adopts the shorter Northland name to reflect its redevelopment as an open-air complex.
- 2023
Demolition begins
[1]Demolition of the enclosed mall begins in May while selected major retailers continue operating.
- 2022
Reconstruction begins
[1]Major redevelopment work begins in January, transforming the former enclosed mall.
- 2021
Interior mall closure precedes redevelopment
[1]Most interior areas close in November as the property prepares for conversion to an open-air format.
- 2015
Future Shop brand ends
[1]Future Shop ceases to operate as a retail brand, ending the tenure of the former Eaton's replacement at Northland.
- 2005
Designer Depot opens
[1]A former bargain cinema is converted into Designer Depot, an off-price Hudson's Bay Company concept and its first Western Canadian location.
- 2003
Expansion accommodates Best Buy
[1]A renovation and expansion project makes room for Best Buy as a major anchor retailer.
- 1999
Eaton's leaves the north-side anchor space
[1]Eaton's, historically the main north-side anchor, is replaced by Future Shop.
- 1998
MAXI Award recognition
[1]The centre receives a MAXI Award for a program intended to assist adults experiencing poverty.
- 1971
Northland Village Mall opens
[1]The enclosed shopping centre opens in northwest Calgary, serving the surrounding Brentwood and Dalhousie communities.
Products and positioning
A community-serving and regional shopping centre focused on large-format anchors, value-oriented retail, everyday services, and convenient access from northwest Calgary.
Consumer electronics anchor · 2003
Best Buy
Best Buy is one of Northland's principal anchor retailers and provides consumer electronics, computing products, appliances, entertainment technology, and related services. Its arrival was supported by the centre's 2003 expansion. The store remained in operation during the later redevelopment.
Off-price apparel and home retail
Winners
Winners serves the centre's value-oriented apparel, accessories, footwear, and home-merchandise segment. It occupied part of a former Eaton's footprint after the mall added a small second-floor area, helping diversify Northland beyond department-store and electronics retail.
Mass merchandise anchor
Walmart
Walmart is a major Northland anchor offering general merchandise and everyday shopping categories. The location has continuity with the site's earlier Woolco-associated retail history and continued operating while the enclosed mall was being demolished and rebuilt.
Off-price department retail · 2005
Designer Depot
Designer Depot was an off-price retail concept associated with the Hudson's Bay Company. Northland's 2005 conversion of a bargain cinema created the concept's first location in Western Canada, adding discounted fashion and general merchandise to the centre's tenant mix.
Consumer electronics anchor · 1999
Future Shop
Future Shop occupied the former Eaton's anchor space from 1999 and operated near Best Buy for several years. It offered overlapping consumer-electronics categories before the Future Shop brand was discontinued in 2015.
Marketing campaigns
- 1998Community assistance program
Calgary · Canada
Northland received a MAXI Award for a program designed to help adults experiencing poverty. The available reference identifies the award and the program's broad purpose but does not provide further operational details.
Outcome. The centre was recognized with a MAXI Award.
Brand decisions
2024
Rebrand as NorthlandStrategyBackground
The property was being reshaped from an enclosed mall into an open-air retail complex.
Action taken
The centre adopted the shorter Northland name.
Aftermath
The new name aligned the public identity with the redevelopment, while Northland Village Mall remains the historical name.
2021
Approve enclosed-mall redevelopmentStrategyBackground
The ageing enclosed shopping-centre format was scheduled for a major physical and commercial transformation.
Action taken
Most interior mall areas were closed in November to prepare for conversion into an open-air shopping centre.
Aftermath
Reconstruction began in January 2022, followed by demolition in May 2023.
2005
Launch of Designer Depot locationProduct launchBackground
The centre repurposed a bargain cinema space as retail formats and value-oriented shopping evolved.
Action taken
The former cinema was converted into a Designer Depot store associated with the Hudson's Bay Company.
Aftermath
The location became Designer Depot's first reported site in Western Canada.
2003
Expand for Best BuyStrategyBackground
The centre sought to strengthen its large-format retail offer and accommodate a major consumer-electronics tenant.
Action taken
Northland undertook an expansion and renovation that enabled Best Buy to open as an anchor.
Aftermath
Best Buy became one of the centre's principal anchor retailers.
Recent events
- 2024
Shopping centre adopts the Northland name[1]
Leadership change
The centre was rebranded as Northland in early 2024, reflecting the redevelopment and its transition away from the traditional enclosed-mall format.
- 2023
Demolition advances as Northland redevelopment continues[1]
Other
Demolition of the enclosed mall began in May as the property was converted into an open-air shopping centre. Walmart and Best Buy remained in operation during the work.
- 2022
Major reconstruction starts at Northland[1]
Other
Major reconstruction of the shopping-centre site began in January as part of the planned de-malling and open-air redevelopment.
- 2022
The Last of Us films inside shuttered Northland corridors[1]
Other
The former enclosed mall was used as a filming location for The Last of Us, with its closed corridors representing a post-apocalyptic setting.
- 2021
Northland begins transition from enclosed mall to open-air centre[1]
Other
Most of the interior shopping centre was closed in November as preparations began for a redevelopment that would replace the enclosed mall format with an open-air complex.
Sources2 sources
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