Loading
Coming up on its 10th anniversary, Tampa's International Plaza mall has found a way to backfill a few vacancies that have cropped up since the start of the year.
Gone are Adrenalina, a surf shop featuring its own wave machine for trying out boards; Harry & David, a gourmet snack store; and The Body Shop, a place for personal care items. Yet just as these retailers were exiting, mall management was already lining up replacement stores.
Gap, the highly popular all-ages clothing chain, will open a full-size store this summer, moving from nearby WestShore Plaza mall.
Opening sooner are Destination Maternity, a shop for expectant mothers that also caters to fathers and children, and Zeads, a jewelry and leather boutique.
Owned and operated by Taubman Centers Inc., International Plaza opened in September 2001 as the Tampa Bay area's most upscale shopping mall with 1.2 million square feet and a Renaissance Hotel.
It was developed on land leased from Tampa International Airport where a golf course used to be.
The mall appears to have continued thriving through the recession, with the area's first Crate & Barrel store opening on an outparcel nearly two years ago. Anchors such as Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Dillard's continue to attract customers.
However, International Plaza isn't entirely in the clear, since Fort Myers-based furniture retailer Robb & Stucky filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Feb. 18 and indicated it may need to close some stores.
Robb & Stucky became a mall anchor in 2005, taking 70,000 square feet originally occupied by Lord & Taylor.
Your free article limit has been reached this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited digital access to our award-winning business news.
Join thousands of executives who rely on us for insights spanning Tampa Bay to Naples.
