New airport outlet mall and cargo centre brings $225M investment

The Edmonton International Airport plans to expand its proposed retail outlet centre and build a newshipping facility to boost cargo transport.

Developers Ivanhoe Cambridge plan to build a 415,000-square-foot retail space next to Highway 2, just south of Airport Road. The indoor shopping space will include up 100 brands.

The mall will be Edmontons first and only pure outlet centre and will help make the the city a destination, said Paul Gleeson, executive vice-president with Ivanhoe Cambridge.

Gleeson said the outlet would be accessible by a shuttle from the airport. It is expected to open in the fall of 2017.

The new Rosenau Transport Ltd. shipping facility will serve as a distribution centre and warehouse for northern Alberta. Officials say the location is ideal for guaranteeing fast shipping, given the proximity to the airport, the nearby highway and Leduc-Nisku Industrial Park.

This means that freight on a Rosenau truck can leave anywhere in western Canada and be on a plane from Edmonton to the world in 24 hours or less, Rosenau Transport Ltd. president Carl Rosenau said in a statement.

Together, the two projects are slated to bring $225 million in investments, while creating 1,000 new jobs.

Premier Jim Prentice, who attended the announcement on Wednesday along with various municipal officials, called the plans welcome news.

While 2015 may prove to be a challenging year for us as Albertans, its also going to be a year that is characterized by confidence and by leadership [this is a] perfect example of the private sectors going out and making our own good fortune.

According to airport CEO Tom Ruth, the EIA is the fastest growing major airport in Canada.