Wikipedia

Deptford Mall

Deptford Mall is a major shopping mall in Deptford Township in Gloucester County, New Jersey. Owned and managed by Macerich, it is the county's only indoor regional shopping center.

Deptford Mall
Deptford Mall entrance between Round 1 Entertainment and JCPenney, March 2023
Map
LocationDeptford, New Jersey
Coordinates39°49′53″N 75°05′52″W / 39.8313°N 75.0977°W / 39.8313; -75.0977
Opening dateAugust 1975[1]
DeveloperStrouse Greenberg
ManagementMacerich
OwnerMacerich and Heitman
No. of stores and services125
No. of anchor tenants5
Total retail floor area1,040,000 sq ft (97,000 m2)[1]
No. of floors2 (3 in Boscov's)
ParkingParking lot
Public transit accessBus transport NJ Transit NJ Transit bus: 400, 455
Websitedeptfordmall.com

The mall is anchored by Boscov's, Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney, Macy's, and Round 1 Entertainment. The mall has over 125 stores. It is located off of Route 42 and Route 55 at County Route 544. The mall has a gross leasable area of 1,040,000 sq ft (97,000 m2), making it the largest mall in the Gloucester County region[1] and placing it in the top eleven among the largest shopping malls in New Jersey.

History

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20th century

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The interior of Deptford Mall in January 2018

The fully enclosed mall opened in August 1975 with three anchor stores, Bamberger's, Sears, and Wanamaker's, and over 150 specialty stores.[2] In 1986, Bamberger's became Macy's.[3] In 1995, the Wanamaker's store became Hecht's. Hecht's became Strawbridge's in 1996 after its parent company, May Department Stores, acquired the Strawbridge's chain.[4] In 2000, construction began to build a JCPenney as a fourth anchor, which opened on August 1, 2001.[5] In 2006, the Strawbridge's store closed after Federated Department Stores acquired May Department Stores; the Strawbridge's was replaced by Boscov's.[6]

On August 5, 1996, an armed gunman attempted to rob an armored vehicle inside the mall. During the shootout, the gunman and a 17-year-old youth were killed on the scene.[7] A younger girl who was in critical condition after being hit by ricochet later died from her injuries at the hospital.[8]

21st century

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In January 2007, Macerich purchased the Deptford Mall for $241 million from Simon Property Group.[9] In October 2015, Macerich sold a 49 percent stake in the Deptford Mall to Heitman.[10]

By November 2012, the mall had completed its first renovation since the early 2000s with the vertical movement project, which involved removing the two escalators the mall had and removing stairs at each end and at the center of the mall. Escalators were added at each end of the mall, and an elevator was located in the center, with corresponding stairs.[11]

The floor was replaced throughout the mall. New chairs, booths, and tables were added in the food court along with a children's play area (in front of Jalapeño's). Also, the up escalator in the food court (across from JCPenney) is being replaced by an up and down escalator. Originally, the Deptford Mall did not have a food court; its eating establishments were spread throughout the mall.[citation needed]

In 2015, Sears Holdings spun off 235 of its properties, including the Sears at Deptford Mall, into Seritage Growth Properties.[12]

On October 15, 2018, it was announced the Sears store would be closing as part of a plan to close 142 stores nationwide as a result of the company filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The store closed in January 2019.[13] The lower level of Sears was replaced by Dick's Sporting Goods, which relocated from its location across the street on Almonesson Road. It opened in September 2020.[14]

In 2019, Round One Entertainment announced plans to occupy the upper level of the former Sears building by fall 2020. It opened on October 30, 2020.[15]

Anchors

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  • Macy's, opened 1986 | former Bamberger's - 205,610 sq ft (19,102 m2)
  • JCPenney, opened 2001 | added as fourth anchor - 143,990 sq ft (13,377 m2) [16]
  • Boscov's, opened 2006 | former Strawbridge's – 160,350 sq ft (14,897 m2)
  • Dick's Sporting Goods, opened 2020 | Lower level of former Sears
  • Round One Entertainment, opened 2020 | Upper level of former Sears

Former Anchors

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  •  
    The second floor of the mall looking from the former Sears
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    Boscov's mall entrance from upper level
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    Lower level mall entrance of Macy's. A label scar of Bamberger's is visible behind the sign
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    Lower level mall entrance of JCPenney
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    Lower level mall entrance of former Sears

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Deptford Mall Market Profile" (PDF). Macerich. 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  2. ^ About Deptford Township Archived 2006-08-21 at the Wayback Machine, accessed October 3, 2006
  3. ^ "COMPANY NEWS; Bamberger's Shift". The New York Times. September 4, 1986. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  4. ^ Di Domizio, Tony (November 30, 2008). "Where have all the eagles gone?". The Reporter. Journal Register Company. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  5. ^ McCalla, John (July 23, 2001). "JCPenney opens in N.J." Philadelphia Business Journal. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  6. ^ "Boscov's to Acquire 10 Federated Stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey". BusinessWire. February 6, 2006. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  7. ^ Colimore, Edward; et al. (August 6, 1996). "2 Dead In Deptford Mall Shootout 2 Also Hurt In Robbery; Suspects Are Sought". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  8. ^ Dooley, Tara; et al. (August 8, 1996). "Girl Dies Of Wound In Mall Shooting Maureen Lavin Was Struck By A Stray Bullet During A Robbery Attempt In Deptford On Monday". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  9. ^ Bennetta, Traci (January 10, 2007). "Macerich Buys Super Regional Mall; Sells 3 Others". CoStarGroup. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
  10. ^ Kostelini, Natalie (October 5, 2015). "Deptford Mall part of $2.3B deal". Philadelphia Business Journal. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  11. ^ Bautista, Jessica. "New Jersey union workers stage demonstration in Deptford Mall", South Jersey Times, July 3, 2012. Accessed February 15, 2018. "Deptford Mall Property Manager Jim Mackey previously confirmed that work is scheduled to take place in the mall in the near future.The purpose of the project, which would rearrange the placement of certain escalators and elevators, was to improve the mall traffic flow, according to Mackey."
  12. ^ "At Deptford Mall | Seritage". seritage.com. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  13. ^ Bomey, Nathan; Tyko, Kelly (October 15, 2018). "Sears store closing list: 142 more Sears, Kmart locations closing in Chapter 11 bankruptcy". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  14. ^ "DICK'S Sporting Goods Moving to Deptford Mall Sears Lower Level". November 27, 2018.
  15. ^ "Round 1 Entertainment Center Coming to Deptford Mall in 2020! Bowling, Arcade, Karaoke, Food and Beer!". 42 Freeway. 2019-04-09. Retrieved 2019-07-26.
  16. ^ Holcomb, Henry J. "Investment Pays Off for Retail Pioneer, Builder of South New Jersey Mall.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 28, 2003. Accessed February 16, 2018. "To take advantage of these trends, the mall has added a J.C. Penney store, its fourth anchor store, and a new look that Straus believes will age well."
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