Northgate Plaza bringing new restaurants and retail to town

The Northgate Plaza will be operational soon with Roulston’s Pharmacy opening its doors on Jan. 16. It’s expected the next business to open in the plaza will be Chuck’s Roadhouse. Other confirmed tenants are Osmows, Dollarama and a No Frills. (Jeff Helsdon Photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

The Northgate Plaza on North Broadway will bring more choices in eateries, a drug stores, and discount shopping.

Rob Koppert, broker of record at Royal LePage R.E. Wood Realty, told the Post the stores that confirmed for the 50,000 square-foot plaza are Roulston’s Pharmacy, Dollarama, Chuck’s Roadhouse, Osmows Shwarma and a No Frills grocery store. Of the 15 units in the plaza, 11 are leased, as many of the tenants will occupy more than one unit. The first of the stores to open will be Roulston’s Pharmacy on Jan. 16. The No Frills is expected to open in mid to late 2025.

Koppert has been working hard trying to fill the remainder of the units.

“We’ve had a bunch of inquiries from daycares. We would really love to have a daycare, as Tillsonburg needs a daycare,” he said.

Koppert also would like to see some a medical facility in the plaza, but said that is dependent on funding from higher levels of government.

And, to the most popular questions involving retail in town, he had an answer: “Winners is specific with the size of the building they want and our building doesn’t fit the size they want."

As for Giant Tiger, he said, “The trouble is they don’t generally come in newer buildings. They look for an older building or a retrofit older building. With the older buildings, they don’t have to pay as much per square foot.”

Koppert, who advocates for supporting local businesses, said the building's construction was done entirely by local trades.

“If we can channel that locally, that’s all money channeled into the local economy,” he said, adding he was glad the tenants are all new businesses to town. “It’s going to be all new businesses and we aren’t going to move any new businesses in town. It’s going to create new employment. There will be lots of new jobs.”

The next business to open will likely be Chuck’s Roadhouse, which will have a covered patio on the restaurant.

Kermar Holdings Inc., a Canadian company with a home base in Chilliwack, B.C, owns Northgate Plaza. The company is owned by Koppert’s wife’s family. The property was purchased in January 2022.

“Once they put that land up for sale, I sent it to my father-in-law, and that’s where it happened,” Koppert said, explaining the location was good, there was already a stoplight at the highway entrance and there hadn't been new commercial developments in Tillsonburg for a few years.

R.E. Wood Realty also sold the property on the other side of Highway 19, adjacent to Sobey’s. This development is expected to take a couple of years, but Koppert expects it to be residential with commercial facing the highway.