Coral Springs Barnes & Noble set to close Feb. 15

Don’t count on Trader Joe’s to take its place at The Walk

Barnes & Noble will close its store at The Walk at University in Coral Springs on Feb. 15, but it has not yet agreed to return to a smaller space at the shopping center, according to the landlord.

Rumors on social media that a Trader Joe’s store will occupy half of the current Barnes & Noble space are premature, said Charlie Ladd, president of Barron Real Estate in Fort Lauderdale, which represents The Walk’s owner, Amera Corp.

Talks with Barnes & Noble about reopening and occupying about half of its current 27,000 square-foot retail space are continuing, Ladd said this week.

“We are talking with them. We’re very close to a deal to do a new store at half the space,” Ladd said. “We’re very hopeful we’ll make a deal with them.”

That’s essentially what Ladd said in November, and he declined Monday to identify specific issues that might be preventing the company from committing to a new lease. Previously, Ladd said that company officials told Amera Corp. that it would not be able to remain at the location beyond its Feb. 15 lease expiration unless the landlord was willing to reduce its size and, consequently, its rent.

Amera Corp., controlled by George Rahael, is willing to redevelop the space to accommodate two retailers, but that will take several months and require Barnes & Noble to close while construction is underway, Ladd said.

Commenters on social media sites have said they were told by Barnes & Noble employees that the popular grocery chain Trader Joe’s is coming to the site.

Ladd said Amera Corp. doesn’t yet have a “likely tenant” for the half of the store that Barnes & Noble won’t be occupying, assuming a deal is reached with the bookseller to return.

“We’ve had discussions with Trader Joe’s along with many others, but we don’t have an agreement at this point,” he said.

Contacted by email, Trader Joe’s public relations director Kenya Friend-Daniel said the company plans to bring a store to the city.

“While I cannot confirm a location at this time, I can tell you we are working to bring a Trader Joe’s store to Coral Springs. I look forward to sharing more information as it becomes available.”

Barnes & Noble officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

With just 12 days to go before the closure, no liquidation sale was underway at the Barnes & Noble location on Monday. Signs promoted a 50 percent off clearance sale for merchandise marked with a round white sticker, but only a small portion of the store’s merchandise had the sticker.

RON HURTIBISE/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL Barnes & Noble has not yet agreed to return to a smaller space at The Walk at University in Coral Springs, its landlord said.