CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. (NYSE:CBL) announced future redevelopment/replacement plans for JCPenney anchor locations in the CBL portfolio that are expected to close in 2014.
“One of our most attractive investments coming out of the recession has been to improve the performance of our properties through redeveloping underperforming anchor locations. The opportunities created by the four JCPenney closures announced today fit perfectly with that objective,” said Stephen Lebovitz, president & CEO. “While we have been encouraged by JCPenney’s recent improvements in sales and traffic, we have been anticipating certain store closures to occur. As we said in our most recent earnings call, we have been proactively engaging in discussions and gauging retail demand with this in mind and are pleased to announce strong interest for the locations expected to close in 2014. Our next steps will be to move forward with negotiations with retailers and finalize redevelopment plans. Once leases are signed, we will share specific retail names joining each mall, as well as construction and opening timelines. The list of retailers interested in these specific locations includes sporting goods, arts and crafts and other box retailers, as well as a traditional department store for one location, all of which will enhance the performance of the malls overall.”
