Pacific Mall
An Asian shopping centre in Markham, Ontario, known for its dense retail marketplace, Chinese Canadian cultural character, and Heritage Town food-and-market area.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Pacific Mall is an Asian shopping centre in Markham, Ontario, at the northeast corner of Steeles Avenue and Kennedy Road near the Toronto–Markham boundary. It emerged in the 1990s as suburban Toronto’s Chinese Canadian population expanded, particularly during the period sometimes described as the Hong Kong Tide. The mall was developed as a condominium-style retail property: individual commercial units were sold to separate owners, while a management structure coordinated shared operations. This model helped attract investors and small business operators, but it also meant that tenant mix, store hours, and merchandise were determined across a large number of independent businesses rather than by a conventional single landlord. Planning began in the late 1980s and the project was formally proposed in 1993 by Torgan Group with the Fairchild Group as a partner. The development replaced the former Cullen Country Barns complex, a farm-themed commercial and entertainment site that had been damaged by fire and demolished in 1994. Pacific Mall’s approval process was prolonged by concerns about traffic, parking, architectural character, and the implications of retail condominium ownership. A building permit was issued in 1995, and sources generally place the opening in either 1996 or 1997. The mall’s Cantonese name, Tai Gu Gwong Cheung, was derived from Pacific Place in Hong Kong. Its design uses red brick, steel, and glass rather than attempting to reproduce historical Chinese architecture. Inside, a grid of market-style corridors uses Hong Kong street names and numerically designated avenues. The building includes two principal retail levels, a basement connected to underground parking, an indoor courtyard with a domed ceiling and stage, a food court, entertainment and medical facilities, and a broad range of small shops. After the initial trading period was slower than anticipated, part of the second floor was redeveloped in 1999 as Heritage Town. Operated by Torgan Group, this area combined food vendors and market stalls with decorative elements commissioned from China, including a dragon relief, lanterns, a bridge, an imperial chair, and terracotta-soldier figures. Heritage Town broadened the centre’s appeal beyond its core Chinese Canadian customer base and helped establish Pacific Mall as a destination for visitors in the Greater Toronto Area. The centre subsequently obtained Canadian tourist-attraction recognition and could open throughout the year, including statutory holidays. Pacific Mall contains hundreds of small stores and is widely described as the largest indoor Asian shopping mall in North America, and in some accounts the largest Asian shopping mall in the Western world. Its merchandise has included Chinese and other Asian clothing, jewellery, tea, herbal products, electronics, mobile phones, books, newspapers, magazines, ornaments, cosmetics, food, and entertainment media. The mall’s linguistic and commercial character has evolved with immigration patterns: businesses increasingly serve customers in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, while some long-established Hong Kong-origin businesses remain. The broader shopping area, including remnants of adjacent Market Village, has been associated with more than 500 stores and extensive indoor and outdoor parking. The centre has also faced persistent criticism over traffic congestion, parking capacity, and the sale of counterfeit and pirated merchandise. Repeated Royal Canadian Mounted Police operations seized counterfeit clothing, accessories, video games, DVDs, and other goods. In 2018, the Office of the United States Trade Representative listed Pacific Mall as a notorious market. Management said it was disturbed by the designation and indicated that vendors would be warned about illicit merchandise. These controversies coexist with the mall’s continuing role as a retail, dining, and cultural destination for the Greater Toronto Area’s Asian communities. Pacific Mall has been linked to proposed redevelopment of the adjacent Market Village site. Plans announced in 2005 contemplated a large expansion involving retail space, a hotel, condominiums, and additional parking. In 2009, the concept shifted toward a new adjoining mall known as the Remington Centre, but the project encountered repeated delays and required further municipal and ownership approvals. Pacific Mall remains an operating shopping centre whose identity is based on independent specialty retail, Asian food and culture, and its distinctive condominium-market format.
History
Pacific Mall occupies land formerly associated with Cullen Country Barns, a farm-themed commercial complex established in the 1980s. The site was damaged by fire in 1988, and the complex was demolished in 1994. Planning for a large Asian retail centre developed amid rapid Chinese immigration to suburban Toronto and the growth of ethnic commercial districts in Markham, Richmond Hill, and Scarborough. Torgan Group formally proposed Pacific Mall in 1993 with the Fairchild Group as a partner. Local debate focused on traffic, parking, architectural form, and the unusual condominium-retail structure. After an extended review, a building permit was issued in May 1995, and the mall opened in the mid-1990s. The centre sold hundreds of retail units to individual owners, who could operate, transfer, or sell their premises. This created a dense marketplace of small businesses rather than a centrally curated department-store environment. Early trading was reportedly slow, leading Torgan Group to renovate part of the second floor in 1999. The resulting Heritage Town combined a food court and approximately 100 market vendors with themed architectural and decorative elements. Its tourist-oriented programming expanded the mall’s audience and contributed to recognition as a Canadian tourist attraction. Pacific Mall’s physical design uses a large-span, market-like interior with exposed structural and mechanical elements. Corridors are arranged on a street grid, with several named after Hong Kong roads and others using numerals associated with Cantonese ideas of luck and prosperity. A central courtyard provides space for performances, cultural events, and trade fairs. Over time, the mall became an important commercial and social node for the Greater Toronto Area’s Chinese Canadian population while also attracting visitors interested in Asian food, goods, and cultural ambience. The property’s history includes repeated enforcement actions concerning alleged counterfeit and pirated goods. RCMP seizures occurred in 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2012, followed by further searches in 2018 and charges in 2019. The mall was listed by the U.S. Trade Representative as a notorious market in 2018. Management publicly distanced itself from illicit sales and stated that vendors would be warned. Traffic and parking have remained recurring local concerns because surrounding infrastructure was developed for a smaller commercial complex. Expansion proposals have repeatedly sought to connect Pacific Mall with redevelopment of the adjacent Market Village site. A 2005 plan envisaged additional retail space, a hotel, condominiums, and parking. By 2009, the proposal had become the Remington Centre project, but it faced delays and approval requirements involving municipal authorities and Pacific Mall’s numerous owners. Pacific Mall continues to operate as an independent-unit shopping centre and cultural retail destination.
- 2018
Listed as a notorious market
[1]The U.S. Trade Representative listed Pacific Mall in its report on notorious markets because of alleged counterfeit and pirated-goods activity.
- 2009
Remington Centre concept announced
[1]The expansion concept shifted toward replacing Market Village with an adjoining development called the Remington Centre.
- 2005
Expansion announced
[1]Pacific Mall and adjacent Market Village announced a proposed expansion involving retail, hospitality, residential, and parking components.
- 1999
Heritage Town opened
[1]Part of the second floor was converted into Heritage Town, combining food, market stalls, and themed cultural decoration.
- 1996
Reported opening period
[1]Sources variously identify 1996 or 1997 as the opening period for Pacific Mall.
- 1995
Building permit granted
[1]After an extended municipal review, Markham issued a building permit for the project in May.
- 1993
Pacific Mall formally proposed
[1]Torgan Group, with the Fairchild Group as a partner, formally proposed a large Asian shopping centre on the former Cullen Country Barns site.
Products and positioning
A large, independent-store Asian shopping destination serving Chinese Canadian communities and visitors across the Greater Toronto Area, with a blend of specialty retail, food, entertainment, and cultural programming.
Asian shopping centre retail
Pacific Mall specialty retail
The mall’s independent shops sell a broad mix of Asian and contemporary apparel, jewellery, tea, herbal products, cosmetics, electronics, mobile phones, books, periodicals, ornaments, gifts, and prepared food. The condominium format produces a highly fragmented tenant mix with many small, specialist businesses.
Food court and cultural market · 1999
Heritage Town
Heritage Town is a food-and-market area developed on the second floor in 1999. It was designed to attract tourists and non-Chinese visitors as well as regular shoppers, using themed decoration, cultural motifs, food vendors, and market stalls.
Controversies
2019
Pacific Mall fined over diesel generators
Ghaziabad authorities imposed a Rs 25 lakh fine on Pacific Mall management over alleged use of diesel generators and pollution concerns.
2018
Counterfeit and pirated-goods controversy
Pacific Mall was listed by the U.S. Trade Representative as a notorious market after years of reported police seizures involving counterfeit and pirated merchandise. Mall management said it was deeply concerned by the designation and would warn vendors involved in illicit sales.
2009
Fatal shooting
A store employee or customer, Kit Chen “Daniel” Cheong, was shot and killed at the XSITE Cell Phones store. The identified suspect was arrested in 2010 and received a life sentence in 2013.
Brand decisions
2009
Reframed the adjacent-site expansionStrategyBackground
A previously announced expansion with Market Village was revised after the developers pursued a more substantial redevelopment concept.
Action taken
The developers proposed demolishing Market Village and constructing the adjoining Remington Centre.
Aftermath
The project received municipal endorsement in 2011 but continued to face delays and additional approval requirements.
1999
Developed Heritage TownStrategyBackground
Initial business at the mall was reportedly slower than expected, and part of the second floor was underused.
Action taken
Torgan Group renovated the space into a food court and market with tourist-oriented cultural decoration and approximately 100 vendors.
Aftermath
The addition broadened the centre’s appeal and helped establish Pacific Mall as a visitor destination and tourist attraction.
Recent events
Pacific Mall fined over diesel generators[3]
Reported:
Ghaziabad authorities imposed a Rs 25 lakh fine on Pacific Mall management over alleged use of diesel generators and pollution concerns.
Sources4 sources
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