Century 21’s Lincoln Square lease now official

Century 21’s deal to replace Barnes & Noble in its 61,000-square-foot Lincoln Square space — first reported yesterday by the blog My Upper West — has been signed, sealed and delivered, Cushman & Wakefield just officially announced. Barnes & Noble is planning to shut its doors at Millenium Partners’ 1972 Broadway in January. Century 21 will take over the following month in preparation for a grand opening in Fall 2011, said Cushman, which brokered the deal. Meanwhile, the move sets the stage for a discount retailer showdown on the Upper West Side, with Loehmann’s — already rumored to be in dire financial straights — vying to retain its customers at 73rd and Broadway and T.J. Maxx, which recently inked a deal for a new store at 250 West 57th Street, and now, Century 21, threatening to lure them further downtown. This morning, the Post reported that T.J. Maxx is also in talks to lease space in traditional Century 21 territory — Lower Manhattan. TRD