Galeries d'Anjou opened in 1968 with 85 stores. Its original anchors were the department stores Simpsons and Eaton's, and the supermarkets Steinberg's and Dominion. Simpson's and Eaton's were located at the extremities of the mall, with store dimensions of 180,000 and 150,000 square feet respectively. Steinberg's and Dominion faced each another in the middle of the mall and were separated from one another by a small corridor. As a whole, Galeries d'Anjou was 800,000 square feet during its inauguration and was built on the site of a former golf course. At the time, the mall was the joint property of Simpsons Limited and Cemp Investments, and managed by Fairview Corporation. Upon its opening, Galeries d'Anjou was the second largest shopping mall in Canada after Yorkdale in Toronto.