Small-format Macy’s store will open next year in Mount Laurel’s Centerton Square shopping center
The new store will occupy a space left by a Bed, Bath & Beyond closure in Burlington County. Macy's has closed three of its full-line department stores in South Jersey.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/UG3PG63VF5KSNQ24FALJ2GHMYU.jpg)
Macy’s has chosen Mount Laurel as its first ”small-format” location in the Philadelphia region.
The 30,200-square-foot store will open in the former Bed, Bath & Beyond space at Centerton Square in 2024, according to Welco Realty Inc., the leasing agent for the shopping center on Centerton Road near Route 38.
“We’re thrilled that Macy’s has selected Burlington County to pioneer its new small-format model in South Jersey,” said Burlington County Commission director Felicia Hopson.
“This will bring more jobs, foot traffic and quality goods to one of the region’s most popular shopping destinations,” she said. “It’s an exciting strategy by Macy’s that hopefully signals a turnaround for in-person retail.”
Asked whether Macy’s plans to open small-format stores elsewhere in the Philadelphia region, a spokesperson said the company will “continue to explore new locations to bring our Macy’s small-format stores closer to existing and desired customers.”
Welco president Jerry Welkis said the new Macy’s “will be a great asset to the center and its tenant mix,” which includes Wegman’s, Costco, and Target.
Macy’s launched the first iteration of its small-format stores, called Market by Macy’s, in 2020. So far a dozen small-format stores are open or planned in Boston, Atlanta, Texas, the Midwest, Southern California, and North Jersey. Mount Laurel and other planned stores will carry the traditional Macy’s nameplate.
“We’re extremely excited Macy’s chose Mount Laurel, especially because they’re taking over a vacant spot,” said Bill Giegerich, the township’s director of community and economic development. He said the township has approved the company’s request to begin renovations in the former Bed, Bath & Beyond space.
The choice of Mount Laurel “definitely speaks to the desirability and the access the township offers, and to the desirability of Centerton Square itself,” Giegerich said.
Macy’s company website defines the small format as between 30,000 to 50,000 square feet, or about one-fifth the size of its traditional stores. The mini-Macys are designed for “off-mall” locations, otherwise known as strip shopping centers, such as Centerton Square.
“My understanding is this will basically be a full-line department store in a smaller format, with {Macy’s] best-selling items,” Welkis said.
Macy’s sister store Bloomingdale’s, as well as Target, also operate smaller-format stores.
One of Target’s two small-format stores in Center City closed in March, and in October the company confirmed it had scrapped plans for a new store in University City.
Ikea opened a temporary ”pop-up” store at the Cherry Hill Mall earlier this year.
“Smaller-format stores can be a good move when the location is a well traveled shopping area like Centerton Square,” said Carol Kaufman-Scarborough, a retired marketing professor at Rutgers-Camden.
“In part, the success of the store will depend upon the selection of merchandise in comparison to the selection in the typical-format stores [and] whether the merchandise mix matches the customer’s expectations,” she said.
Macy’s Philadelphia-area stores include Center City, Northeast Philly, and King of Prussia, as well as in Cherry Hill and Deptford in South Jersey. Macy’s also operates a freestanding furniture store on Route 38 in Maple Shade.