Mall manager confident about renting Teletech space

The manager of the Rainbow Centre mall in Sudbury isn't too worried about losing one of its biggest tenants.

The Teletech call centre has been in the downtown mall since opening in the late 1990s, but the US-based company plans to shut down the operation by the end of the year, and lay off 200 workers.

"In anticipation of Teletech leaving, I've been putting out feelers and I'm pretty confident it isn't going to be hard space to rent," said Joe Zito, the vice-president of operations for the Vista Group, which owns the Rainbow Centre.

He added the the owners of the Rainbow Centre have been focusing on converting the downtown mall into an office complex, and said the amount of office space has quadrupled in recent years.

And while the Vista Group has told the province it is interested in running a casino in the downtown core, Zito said the old call centre will likely remain as office space.

"I don't foresee the casino going in an old building downtown just to fill the space," he said. "I think [the casino] has to be a showpiece of sorts."

Zito said if his company wins its bid for the casino, it would likely see a new building go up on its downtown Sudbury property.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corproration is currently reviewing casino bids, but a decision is still months away.