University Mall (South Burlington, Vermont)

The University Mall, often referred to as the U-Mall, is an enclosed shopping mall in South Burlington, Vermont. The name refers to its proximity to the University of Vermont. At 610,693 square feet (56,735.2 m2),[1] it is the largest shopping mall in Vermont[2][3] and is one of two enclosed malls in the Burlington metropolitan area. JCPenney, Kohl's, and Target are the anchor stores. It also features an H&M. The mall encompasses 77 shops, including two sit-down restaurants, and a food court. Finard Properties, LLC of Boston, Massachusetts is the mall's management company.

University mall
LocationSouth Burlington, Vermont, United States
Opening date1979
ManagementFinard Properties, LLC
No. of stores and services77
No. of anchor tenants4 (3 open, 1 vacant)
Total retail floor area610,693 square feet (56,735.2 m2)
No. of floors1 (2 in former Sears, 4 in Parking Garage, staff mezzanine in JCPenney)
ParkingParking Garage outside former Sears, rest is uncovered

History

Construction of the University Mall was completed in 1979. Original anchors were Almy's and Zayre. Zayre relocated to a freestanding store in the mall in 1987 and an expansion took over the old Zayre in 1989 connecting the new Zayre. Zayre was rebranded as Ames the same year. Almy's closed in 1987 and became Steinbach in 1992. The mall got a second expansion in 1992 with JCPenney becoming the third anchor. The mall got a third expansion in 1998 with a 2-story Sears becoming the fourth anchor, plus a 4-story parking garage. Steinbach closed in 1999 and became The Bon-Ton the same year. Ames closed in 2002 following their Chapter 7 bankruptcy and became Kohl's in April 2004. The mall was renovated in 2005.[4]

On October 18, 2017, it was announced that Bon-Ton would be closing in January 2018.[5] On October 19, 2017, Target announced that they will be opening a small-format store and their first store in Vermont in the former Almy's/Steinbach/Bon-Ton space on October 19, 2018.[6]

On November 7, 2019, it was announced that Sears would also be closing as part of a plan to close 96 stores nationwide. The store closed in February 2020.[7]

Operations

The rental per square foot is proprietary information. Average pro-rata tax payment for a non-anchor store is about $2 per 1 square foot (0.093 m2).[1]

As of January 2015, mall management reported that the mall was fully tenanted with the exception of two food court spaces.[8]

Tenants

The University Mall has an array of stores and areas to eat.[9] Various national retailers have their only Burlington, Vermont area store within the mall, including the four current anchor stores. In 2009, Vermont's first International House of Pancakes opened here,[10] becoming the mall's second sit-down restaurant. There is also a food court in the center of the mall.

References
  1. Johnson, Tim (6 September 2010). "Store Stats". Burlington, Vermont: Burlington Free Press. pp. 1B.
  2. "University Mall (VT)". University Mall (VT).
  3. The University Mall South Burlington Vermont - Vermont Shopping Malls University Mall VT Living VT Shopping Guide
  4. "Mall Hall of Fame: University Mall".
  5. Lange, Bernie (19 October 2017). "Bon-Ton at University Mall closing its doors". mychamplainvalley.com.
  6. "Vermont's first Target store planned for S. Burlington, replacing Bon-Ton". burlingtonfreepress.com.
  7. Ciment, Shoshy. "Sears is closing 96 more stores, leaving only 182 stores left in the US. Here's the full list of the ones closing". Business Insider.
  8. "Some Malls Thrive While Others Struggle". Barre Montpelier Times Argus. January 19, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  9. "University Mall Directory". Placewise Media Network. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  10. Zezima, Katie (April 20, 2009). "Sign Says IHOP, but Syrup Says Vermont". New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved April 12, 2016.

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