On the Oakville Place store directory, the anchor unit marked MAJ2 still reads "Coming Soon." The Hudson's Bay that used to fill it closed with the rest of the chain on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Liquidation sales had started on March 24. InsideHalton reported that the unit had been empty since that June. Fifteen months later, the space is being rebuilt as something no department store tried to be. It is meant to give people a reason to come to the mall several times a week.
That design choice explains most of what is coming. It also explains why the two floors may not open together.
The box stays whole, and groceries carry it
Plenty of former department stores across North America have been split into smaller units or given limited uses. Frank Ho, Vice President of Real Estate Development for Nations Experience, told Retail Insider in April that the Oakville Place project is meant to bring back steady traffic at full scale instead. The company took possession of the whole two-level space, about 120,000 square feet. Ho called the concept "foodtainment," meaning grocery, prepared food, dining and entertainment in one place.
Ho framed the model around three things, frequency, dwell time and experience, rather than standard retail categories. In his description the parts work as one system. Grocery brings people in regularly. Prepared food gives the space energy. Entertainment keeps people there longer.
For someone living in Central Oakville, the change is practical. A Bay anchor brought people in for an occasional purchase. A full supermarket in the same footprint makes Oakville Place somewhere to pick up produce, fish or a prepared dinner on a weeknight. The announcement splits the space roughly in half. More than 60,000 square feet goes to the Nations Experience supermarket and more than 60,000 square feet to Forever Young, the indoor entertainment concept.
The date moved earlier, then picked up a caveat
Retail timelines usually slip. This one moved forward first.
| Date | Source | What it said |
|---|---|---|
| November 14, 2025 | Oakville News, Retail Insider | Construction to begin in late 2026, opening in 2027 |
| March 31, 2026 | Oakville News | Construction underway, opening later in fall 2026 |
| April 2, 2026 | Retail Insider | Nations has taken possession; broad opening expected Fall 2026, with some entertainment elements possibly in 2027 |
| August 4, 2026 | RioCan second-quarter release | Nations Fresh Foods at Oakville Place among tenants given possession during the quarter |
CHCH covered the change as well, reporting that a Nations post had moved completion up from 2027 to this fall. The two spring reports differ on one detail. Oakville News described construction as underway on March 31. Two days later, Retail Insider wrote that Nations had taken possession and that construction was expected to begin shortly. Both reports describe a project that was moving forward.
The caveat in the April update is the important one. Ho's timeline called for a broad opening in Fall 2026, with some entertainment elements possibly arriving in 2027. In practice, "fall" mainly describes the grocery floor.
Downstairs has the clearest plan
The lower level is planned as the grocery and prepared-food floor. It will have produce, seafood and meat departments and a wide international selection under the brand's "Where East Meets West" positioning. Nations' own announcement adds bakery, household and everyday groceries, prepared food, and a food court serving freshly made meals. It says the store will mix mainstream staples with international products.
No food-court vendors have been named for Oakville. The company's existing stores show what the format can include. Nations' website lists prepared-food counters for salad, burgers, sushi, Eastern and Western kitchens, juice and bubble tea, bakery, deli and Chinese barbecue. It describes the Hamilton flagship's food court as serving dishes from around the world, ready to eat or to heat at home. Nobody has confirmed that Oakville will copy that lineup exactly, and the company's stores don't all share the same setup.
The closest model for the whole two-level concept is Nations Experience at Stock Yards Village in Toronto. The mall describes it as grocery and dining, plus playground and arcade areas. Retail Insider's coverage of that site also mentions a food hall.
Upstairs depends on which attractions arrive
The second level will carry the Forever Young name. For Oakville specifically, the planned list so far is indoor play areas, arcade games, virtual reality and event uses. The original announcement describes Forever Young as an all-ages entertainment concept with birthday parties and immersive games.
The brand's existing Toronto venues offer more than that. Forever Young's site lists:
- Arcade games and VR
- An indoor playground
- Sports simulators
- Billiards, archery and table tennis
- Private karaoke booths
One detail is easy to misread. On Forever Young's site, bowling is one of the sports-simulator games, not a traditional lane alley. Neither the April update nor Nations' fall announcement confirms karaoke or bowling for Oakville.
Size gives a better sense of what's coming. In July 2025, Retail Insider described the Forever Young venue at Toronto's Centerpoint Mall as a 55,000-square-foot space with arcade, VR, golf simulators, interactive sports, children's play areas, party rooms, a lounge and bar, and dining areas. The Oakville floor is planned at more than 60,000 square feet, a little larger than Centerpoint. The play component at Stock Yards gives another reference point. Nations lists five party rooms, a 4,000-square-foot playground and more than 80 arcade games there.
A large, mixed-use upper floor that needs simulators, play structures and party rooms installed is the part that could reasonably slip into 2027. Ho's April timeline already allowed for that.
Where things stand on September 30, 2026
"Nations Experience and Forever Young to Open 120,000+ Sq. Ft. Supermarket and Entertainment Destination at Oakville Place in Fall 2026."
That headline is still on the Oakville Place store page, above the "Coming Soon" status. The mall's main directory lists Nations Experience as "Now Open," which conflicts with the store's own page. No news report or Nations announcement confirms that the doors have opened.
The latest dated confirmation is from RioCan, which owns the mall. Its second-quarter release on August 4 named Nations Fresh Foods at Oakville Place among tenants given possession of previously committed space during the three months ending June 30. Here is what has not appeared publicly yet:
- An opening date. Nations' news page still says Fall 2026 and describes preparations as underway.
- Hiring. The company says hiring announcements will follow. Its careers listings include grocery and seafood clerks, meat cutters, bakery and food-court staff, cooks and cashiers, but none are tied to Oakville.
- The garden centre. In April, Ho said a large garden centre would open at Oakville Place that month as an early preview. The only "Garden Center Now Open" page on Nations' site is for Stock Yards Village, on the third floor of Parkade A. No Oakville opening has been confirmed.
- Events. The Oakville Place events listing doesn't include a Nations opening.
A store that size usually hires publicly before it opens. Until hiring news or a firm date appears, the most dependable guide is Ho's own description. The grocery floor comes first and the full entertainment floor follows, possibly into next year.
For people nearby, the largest unit at Oakville Place is becoming a grocery store and family entertainment space instead of another department store. Anchor changes like this can affect how buyers see the streets around a mall. If you own near Oakville Place and want to know how your home compares in the current market, Mr. Sold Group can prepare a careful, data-based estimate. Get a Free Home Valuation, and we'll update our read as the Nations opening gets closer.
