No major changes are in store for the Charlottetown Mall, despite rumours to the contrary.
Susan Campbell, property administrator with the mall, said Thursday Target will not be expanding out to the main doors of the mall.
The rumour has been making the rounds lately on social media sites and mall administration has been fielding questions on it.
"There are lots of rumours and people keep coming to us,'' Campbell said.
Zellers will be closing in March when renovations will begin for Target but work won't be going past the existing Zellers footprint. It measures 108,000 square feet.
"That's not what's happening. There really aren't any major, major changes going to be happening. We're hoping that we get to fix up our mall a little bit more but other than that (no changes).''
About the only thing that looks different inside the main doors is that Eastlink has removed its kiosk and is now operating out of a larger location down by the Mount Edward Road entrance.
"They moved because we were told that they wanted to get into selling cellphones so that's why they wanted a bigger showroom area."
Zellers plans on holding a liquidation sale for the last three months of its operation so expect prices to get slashed before Christmas.
Target's website says the department store in the Charlottetown Mall will be opening winter 2013 but it's looking more like the opening will happen in November next year.
Target will look quite a bit different than Zellers. More than $10 million is going into renovations.
"They've had their engineers . . . just going over all the logistics of construction and how they're going to start,'' Campbell said.
Winter doesn't begin until Dec 21; I'm jist saying. But really, we need another department store in the area. I hate to say it, but, I wish KMart would come back. If we had a large Island Store like "Holmans" back on the scene that would be good too. Now all we are going to get is mass produced trinkets - made God knows where - and sold by Walmart. Of course, there will be Walmart. We can always shop at Walmart. I can only put so many lawn items out in front of the house from "Dollarama". Sears could rise to the occasion, but that is unlikely, as they sell a higher brand; more money please! Costco might bring some relief but that is just another big box store. Perhaps Kent's, which is at least locally owned, could expand their merchandise base to be more like a "department store" rather than just a home and building supply place. Oh well, it won't be as bad in Charlottetown as Summerside. No Target in Summerside or Zellars. Walmart, like a spreading North American weed will be there, waiting to eat Summerside alive! Shopping on-line is the way it will probably go; Island manufacturers and product makers get your stuff up on a website!!