Macy’s Closes Tampa Store Amid WPG’s Redevelopment Plans

Macy’s is closing its 235,000-square-foot WestShore Plaza store in Tampa.

The New York department store brand’s decision to close the store, at 298 Westshore Plaza, is part of a larger national strategy involving the closure of 66 underperforming stores this year, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported. Macy’s plans to redirect resources toward more profitable stores, along with streamlining the company’s larger retail network.

Ohio-based Washington Prime Group owns the mall and is planning a mixed-use redevelopment of the 50-acre site. WPG, led by CEO Christopher Conlon, bought the Macy’s building for $10 million ($42 per square foot) in November.

WPG’s plans have won local approval, but the project still lacks financing.

The redevelopment is slated for 3.5 million square feet of retail and restaurants, office space, medical facilities, apartments and hotels.

Macy’s closure follows Dick’s Sporting Goods’ exit from the mall in October; it moved to a larger location at International Plaza.

Another Tampa mall, Westfield Citrus Park, closed a few years ago, after landlord Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield handed it over in foreclosure, blaming the mall’s financial distress on the pandemic’s impact on the retail sector.

Sears has also closed its Sears and Kmart stores in Tampa stores back in 2018 as part of a broader strategy to address declining sales.

Several other big-box retailers have closed stores in Tampa, including Conn’s, Tuesday Morning and Bed, Bath and Beyond. Meanwhile, Big Lots and Party City, which have locations in Tampa, are also planning to close all of their stores. Mitch Modell of Modell’s Sporting Goods is working to buy Big Lots and Party City.

— Andrew Terrell