Seems silly then for the employee to ask you to switch - poor training.
Yes, that plaza and the one across the street has had issues for the past few years with stores closing (even on the northeast side of Hwy 7 and Weston as well - behind the new building). Perhaps the area was over-retailed like in the US where a lot of outdoor malls have been emptying out over the last several years. That's certainly accelerated with the pandemic restrictions and the rapid shift to online/mobile commerce (the 2028-2030 target moved up 10 years).