More stores close at Stamford Town Center
STAMFORD — Two more retailers have left Stamford Town Center, adding to the extensive list of departures at the downtown mall this year.
Ascena Retail Group’s girl’s-clothing chain Justice has shuttered its establishment on the fifth floor, ending a 10-year run at the shopping center. Healthand-nutrition chain GNC’s shop on the fourth floor closed at the end of July, ending a stay that started in 2015. Both of those companies have declared bankruptcy.
“The retail industry is undergoing a substantial transformation, one that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Stamford Town Center General Manager Dan Stolzenbach. “National bankruptcies have increased recently, which explains why many stores are closing throughout the United States.”
Among other recent closings, Brooks Brothers and Talbots stores closed in June. Brooks Brothers’ exit preceded the company’s bankruptcy filing last month. It had operated at the mall since its 1982 opening. Talbots left because its lease expired, ending a 26-year stay.
As arguably the mall’s most significant loss in the past year, an Apple store shut down in February, ending a nearly 14-year run there. Three days after going dark in Stamford, Apple opened a showroom at the SoNo Collection mall in Norwalk.
In January, Swedish fast-fashion specialist H&M and British shoe seller Clarks shuttered their stores at Stamford Town Center in favor of new ones at SoNo Collection. Japanese casual-wear chain Uniqlo also closed at the mall in January.
With the exception of the Clarks space — which is
now occupied by a Luggage & Bags store — none of the mall’s storefronts vacated this year has been filled.
Dozens of stores remain at the mall, including anchor tenants Barnes &
Noble, Macy’s and Saks Off 5th.
Stamford Town Center’s long-term future is uncertain after being put up for sale last year. It is still on the market.
“Hopefully, we’ll have some clarity about the future of the property later this year and can then bring all the stakeholders together to ensure that
any new investment in the site positions the downtown for a generation of success as the mall originally did decades ago,” David Kooris, president of the Stamford Downtown Special Services District, said last month.