district of big box stores. This part of the town borders the town of Stellarton to the south and the Town of Westville to the southwest. Westville Road leads to the town of Westville, about beyond Exit 23 at the Trans Canada Highway. Economy Major employers in the area include the Aberdeen Hospital, a Michelin tire plant in nearby Granton and the headquarters of Sobeys, a national grocery chain, in nearby Stellarton. However, New Glasgow and Pictou County have suffered the closure of many large employers, including Convergys (~200 jobs), the Northern Pulp Nova Scotia pulp mill in nearby Abercrombie (~300 jobs). New Glasgow's historic downtown core is home to several shops and services. Including restaurants, pubs, cabarets, clothing stores, gift shops, furniture department stores, a marina on the riverfront, government offices and banks. A major revitalization plan was recently announced for the downtown core. A large sum of the funds will be provided by the federal government. Among the projects are a walking bridge that will connect the riverfront marina with the Samson Trail on the west side, improvements to the historic town hall, an updated and possibly expanded library, and beautification of public spaces and storefronts. New Glasgow is the commercial hub of northeastern Nova Scotia. Well known chain stores include Sobeys (three locations), Atlantic Superstore, Shoppers Drug Mart, Sears, Staples, The Brick and Canadian Tire. The Westville Road/Highland Square Mall area has seen significant commercial growth in recent years. A new Walmart opened next to Highland Square in early 2007, replacing the smaller location in the mall. Canadian Tire relocated to Walmart's old location in the spring of 2008, making it the second-largest Canadian Tire store in Nova Scotia. Winners opened in Spring 2009, in Canadian Tire's former location. Future Shop has built a new store next to the new Canadian Tire, which opened in Spring 2009 but has since closed. SportChek opened a new store inside the mall in Fall 2009. The Highland Square Mall is unfortunately well known for its high turnover rate of stores and the closure of many long-time shops including Carlton Cards, Sears, Sparkles Arcade, Ranchers Steakhouse, Captain Sub, etc. About a minute away from the Westville Road commercial district, on the opposite side of the Trans Canada Highway in Stellarton, a new business park is currently being developed. The Holiday Inn Express Hotel Stellarton – New Glasgow was the first confirmed