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Midtown mall is gaining positive attention for its increased visitors and record sales productivity numbers — not for any security incidents, says the mall’s general manager.
The downtown Saskatoon shopping centre’s pedestrian counting system logged 4.3 million visitors in the past 12 months. During an appearance on the CKOM Morning Show with Mark Loshack, Tara Faris, the Midtown’s general manager, told Loshack it’s a “great number” for the mall.
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Midtown also reached a “historic high” in sales productivity, according to Faris, at $826 per square foot.
Faris said the figures are linked to the mall’s new shops like Browns Shoes, Mountain Warehouse and JD Sports.
“Our success is definitely because we’ve got a lot of great new first-to-market retailers that are keeping the community engaged and excited,” she said.
Addressing safety in Midtown
But, the journey to record sales hasn’t come without challenges, as police have responded to multiple bear spray attacks in Midtown over the past year.
In November 2024, there were two reported bear spray incidents at the mall. In one of them, a 13-year-old boy was charged after allegedly firing bear spray at one of the mall’s entrances. Then, in December of 2024, a 13-year-old and 16-year-old were charged for also allegedly firing the stinging spray at one of the mall’s entrances.
In January, police investigated another bear spray incident after they received a report that a group of youths discharged the spray in mall’s food court. Just days later, police responded to another bear spray attack where two security guards were sprayed, also in the food court area.
In April, two men faced assault charges after allegedly attacking a man at the mall. The victim was sent to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
When asked how the mall making working to improve safety for shoppers, Faris said there is “a very robust security team at Midtown.”
According to Faris, the mall’s highly trained and qualified security staff includes 15 full-time officers, three supervisors and a security manager who work to make the mall a safe and welcoming environment.
“We certainly invest very heavily in our security systems,” she said.
Faris said the mall also works closely with the Saskatoon Police Service, the Downtown Saskatoon Business Improvement District and city council to improve the downtown environment.
