THUNDER BAY — A long lineup of customers was already in place when the new Marshalls department store in Thunder Bay held its official opening Tuesday morning.
The outlet in Intercity Shopping Centre occupies 40 per cent of the ground floor space formerly taken up by Sears, which closed in January 2018.
About 60 people were hired to work at the store.
Stacey Ball, general manager of the shopping centre, called the opening "such an exciting day" for the mall and for Thunder Bay.
"It's been some time since the closure of Sears, and it's left a big void...we think Marshalls is going to bring a new customer back to the shopping centre...and it just creates extra excitement here," she said.
When asked by news reporters what might be happening with the rest of the building Sears used to occupy, Ball replied "That's the million-dollar question. Unfortunately I can't tell you at this point."
She said the mall ownership continues to work on plans for the balance of the main floor, and on the second floor as the next stage.
"Hopefully, very soon we'll be able to make another announcement very similar to the opening of Marshalls."
U.S.-based Marshalls first expanded into Canada in 2011.
The off-price retailer falls under the TJX Companies brand which also includes Winners and Home Sense.
