July 2, 2010, the Boston Pizza location at Alberni Mall was forced to close by mall owner Shape Properties as the result of the previous franchise owner falling behind on rent payments, which added up to a backlog of $106,000 at the time of closure. The Alberni Mall Boston Pizza franchise has since been acquired by new owners, who reopened the restaurant on April 30, 2011. Shape Properties also announced plans to subdivide the remaining part of the old mall into smaller parcels for sale to interested clients, including the possibility of a new multiplex movie theatre (which had been part of the mall's original plans in a previous form). On May 10, 2012, local Home Hardware franchise owner Jon Lavertu announced that he had made a deal with Shape Properties to relocate his Home Hardware store to Alberni Mall. As part of the relocation, the former Safeway space at the mall was renovated, with a new outside entrance for the store included in the renovations. With the relocation and the expanded floor space, the Home Hardware store was rebranded and reformatted as a Home Hardware Building Centre and opened on November 29, 2012. Another new retailer, Aaron's Furniture, opened at the mall on December 1, 2012. On July 10, 2012, Shape Properties also announced that a new store, Paws 'n Jaws Pet Shop, was to open at the mall in the fall of 2012 while furniture retail chain The Brick would also be relocating its Port Alberni location to the mall in the spring of 2013, with complete redevelopment of the mall expected to be done by midyear. The Brick opened its new Alberni Mall location on May 2, 2013. On October 24, 2013, it was announced that an investment syndicate headed by Bayfield Realty Advisors Inc. had purchased the mall from Shape Properties on October 16, with Vancouver-based Canreal Management Corporation taking over the mall's management. See also List of shopping malls in Canada References External links Old Mall... major renos/tear down?... businesses moving at Alberni.ca forums New mall site at Alberni.ca forums Mall News at Port Alberni Kicks Ass Webboard Future Alberni Mall floor plans Alberni Mall floor plans Shopping malls in British Columbia Shopping malls established in 1979 Port Alberni