A spokeswoman with Plaza Properties, owner of the mall, tells GlobeSt.com that Menards leadership asked to put a signed contract for a new store at the mall on hold. She says she can't say what would have been improved. "Menards was the catalyst for the renovation, we hadn't gone through the entire final development process," she says. The mall is about 25% occupied, she says.
Menards reportedly has a few stores planned for the Columbus area, but has put the stores on hold during the economic downturn. A company spokesman did not return calls for comment.
Westland had formerly had a few other anchors, such as J.C. Penney and Lazarus. The J.C. Penney store closed in 1997, moving to the new Tuttle Crossings retail center nearby, and the Lazarus-turned-Macy's was closed by the company in 2007. A former Woolworth store was turned into a Staples, but the office supply store is not attached to the mall. On the mall Web site, Plaza says it wants to attract a "value-orientated" tenant base, to "cater to customers looking for substantially lower price points."
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