Meadowbrook Mall States its “Largest Merchant Ever” Scheduled to Open Doors in Bridgeport in 2023
By Jeff Toquinto on October 26, 2022
Meadowbrook Mall is about to have a major addition. In fact, today, officials with Cafaro, the mall’s parent company confirmed as much in a press release sent out.
What the press release did not say was what the addition was. What it did say was it will be “the largest merchant to ever open at Meadowbrook Mall.”
Joe Bell, the director of corporate communications for Cafaro, could not comment on what would come, which is generally not unusual until leases are formally signed or the business in question wants an announcement to be made. The press release said a lease has not yet been formally signed.
Cafaro stated in their press release that the process for establishing a new lease agreement with any large business often takes months or years. They added that with this business the process is nearly complete.
However, it appears likely the business in question is Boscov’s. Several mall merchants have confirmed to Connect-Bridgeport, as well as on social media, they have been told issues involving their move or lease situation have been based on Boscov’s arrival. Again, Bell would not confirm if that is the case.
Boscov’s Inc. is a family-owned department store with roughly 50 locations in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Twenty-six of these stores are located in Pennsylvania. This would be the first store in West Virginia if that is who Cafaro is working with.
What Bell could confirm, as well as the press release, is that the business is tentatively scheduled to be in place in Bridgeport in 2023. To make way for it, multiple stores have moved and one of the mall’s most popular stores will move.
Marshalls will be moving into what is being described as a “modern, updated store space in the “Target Concourse,” according to the press release.
Anthony Cafaro, Jr., Co-President of the mall’s parent company commented about the arrival.
“This will be the biggest offering for consumers to ever arrive at Meadowbrook Mall,” he said.
The relocation of Marshalls is not the first. Several others, such as Four Horsemen Comics and Gaming, have already moved. JOANN Fabrics recently announced their closure. However, their lease was not terminated, according to Bell.
“We had a new space for them and were going to relocate them, but it was their decision to leave. The company made the decision to leave the marketplace,” said Bell. “It’s unfortunate that they decided to leave, but it was a corporate decision.”
Boscov’s has many of its stores with a two-story format. Bell would not say whether the entity in question would be one or two stories. He did confirm they would use existing space on the Cinemark end of the mall.
“They will be doing some demolition, but it will likely just be exterior demolition,” said Bell of the officially unnamed business. “We’re looking forward to making the announcement as to who it is soon. There is a lot of buzz.”
The company, which was founded in 2019, has said its first markets will likely be in material-handling vehicles such as forklifts, agricultural equipment and energy storage. It added that batteries for the automotive market, which require a process of certification, will be in the near future of the plant.