Walmart Taking Over Former Hudson’s Bay at Calgary’s Southcentre Mall With a Massive Two-Storey Supercentre

The former Hudson’s Bay at Calgary’s Southcentre Mall is about to become something very different: a two-storey Walmart Supercentre.

Walmart Canada announced on Oct. 20 that it will take over the old department store space at Macleod Trail and Anderson Road. It’s planning to open in 2028.

The store will cover about 165,000 square feet over two floors.

But there’s a catch for south Calgary shoppers. This isn’t an extra Walmart.

Walmart is moving its existing Supercentre at 9650 Macleod Trail SE into the mall. One familiar store will be replaced by a bigger one a short drive away.

What’s coming to Southcentre

The new Walmart will include:

• A full grocery department

• General merchandise

• A Walmart Pharmacy

• A Vision Centre

• Pickup and delivery from the store

Groceries are the big change for Southcentre. Shoppers heading to the mall for clothes or a meal will be able to do their weekly grocery run in the same trip.

Walmart hasn’t said how the store will be split between the two floors, or how the entrances will work.

What happens to the Walmart on Macleod Trail?

The Supercentre at 9650 Macleod Trail SE is the store being replaced.

Walmart hasn’t announced when it will close, or what will happen to the building after Walmart leaves.

That leaves open questions for regular customers, including whether there will be a gap between one store closing and the other opening.

The new location does have one advantage. Southcentre sits next to the Anderson CTrain station, so it’ll be easier to reach by transit for a lot of people.

Filling the hole the Bay left

The Bay space has sat empty since Hudson’s Bay went under.

Canada’s oldest company filed for creditor protection in March 2025 and closed its stores across the country later that year, after more than 350 years in business. It left giant empty anchor spaces in malls across Canada.

Southcentre’s is now spoken for.

“We’re thrilled to be welcoming a global retailer of Walmart’s stature to Southcentre,” said Tori Nixon, vice-president of retail leasing at Oxford Properties, which owns and operates the mall.

The Bay was known for clothing, beauty and home goods. Walmart keeps a lot of that, and adds a full supermarket. That could bring in shoppers who wouldn’t normally visit the mall.

Southcentre was already changing

Walmart isn’t the first big shift at Southcentre.

The mall’s former Sears space was redeveloped for retailers including Winners, PetSmart and Decathlon. PowerPlay, an entertainment centre, opened in 2024.

Like a lot of Canadian malls, Southcentre has been moving away from the old department store model. Walmart takes that one step further.

It also raises a practical question for anyone who drives to Southcentre: how will a busy supermarket affect parking and traffic? Walmart and Oxford haven’t said.

Walmart’s Alberta push

The Southcentre store is part of a $6.5 billion, five-year plan Walmart Canada announced in 2025 to build new stores and expand its supply chain across the country.

It’s the fourth new Alberta Supercentre planned under that investment:

Fort McMurray’s store opens today.

Walmart already runs 59 stores in Alberta and employs more than 15,000 people in the province.

When will the Southcentre Walmart open?

Walmart is aiming for 2028. It hasn’t given a month or a date.

It also hasn’t said:

• When construction starts

• How many people the store will employ

• Whether staff from the Macleod Trail store will move over

For now, the Macleod Trail Walmart stays open. By 2028, south Calgary’s Walmart is expected to be under the same roof as the rest of Southcentre.

Sources

• Walmart Canada, “A New Walmart Supercentre is coming to Calgary,” Oct. 20, 2026: https://www.walmartcanada.ca/news/2026/10/20/a-new-walmart-supercentre-is-coming-to-calgary