JoS. A. Bank Clothiers, Sundance Square Ready to Sign Lease

FORT WORTH-Putting an end to months of speculation, Sundance Square Management Co. LP has confirmed it has hit the final stretch to sign JoS. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. for a prime CBD corner, vacated earlier this year by Pier 1 Imports. Not only is it a key backfill, but the landmark lease will mark the first time in decades that a national menswear retailer has been part of the square's lineup.

JoS. A Bank Clothiers, headquartered in Hampstead, MD, is working out final details for a long-term lease for 4,500 sf of a 6,000-sf storefront at the corner of Fourth and Houston streets. The balance of the top-tier retail space is under negotiation with a complementary shop, Johnny Campbell, president and CEO of Sundance Square Management, tells GlobeSt.com.

The 100-year-old retailer will go before the city's downtown sign review board this morning as part of the permitting trail so construction can begin on a shop at the hard corner of a key intersection in the 20-block mix of street-front retail and entertainment set in turn-of-the-century buildings. JoS. A. Bank hopes to be opening doors in November on its second store in Fort Worth and 27th in the state. "We've got a lot to get done between now and then," Campbell says.

Campbell says the JoS. A. Bank's addition is part of a push to build a soft goods corridor into the multifaceted, Main Street-style component that has made Sundance Square popular with tourists and locals alike. "Adding a recognized retailer of this caliber and reputation opens a new chapter in Sundance Square retailing," he says.

With more than 290 stores in 38 states and the District of Columbia, JoS. A Bank Clothiers' latest fiscal report showed net sales have reached a record $373 million. The menswear retailer, marking its second year of an expansion strategy, plans to add 60 to 75 shops this year in the US.

The Sundance Square news helps to ease the brunt of losing three restaurants, all owned by Planet Zolon, over the weekend. But, Campbell says, stay tuned because the backfill was already in play and should be announced before the week ends to keep the adaptive reuse CBD development at its historic 100% occupancy.