When bankrupt Stein Mart Inc. closed its stores in October, real estate brokers predicted the six Jacksonville spaces would be attractive to retailers that include gyms, supermarkets, furniture stores and other shopping uses.
They are starting to land tenants.
Plans surfaced for the closed Stein Mart at 13475 Atlantic Blvd. in Harbour Village to become Crunch Fitness, and the vacant store in Point Meadows is slated for lease to Bailey’s Health & Fitness.
Landlord Sleiman Enterprises COO Michael McNaughton said July 5 that the 32,000-square-foot Point Meadows location at 10915 Baymeadows Road has been leased to Bailey’s.
McNaughton said Sleiman looked forward to “incorporating a flagship quality gym and increasing the relevance of the center to the community.”
Jacksonville-based Bailey’s Health & Fitness, founded in 1981, has grown to 18 locations, including at Point Village, in North Florida and one in Brunswick, Georgia.
Brothers Don, David and Darryl Bailey founded the company.
David and Darryl Bailey lead the company after Don’s death in August.
Bailey’s Health & Fitness employs more than 300 people, has more than 60,000 members and generates annual revenue topping $20 million.
Club visits in March, a year after the pandemic, were the highest in company history.
Darryl Bailey said July 5 that the 17th location, at Oakleaf Station at 8396 Merchants Way in Southwest Jacksonville, is scheduled to open the week of July 19. That 37,000-square-foot space is in a former Bealls store.
He said the 18th, at Point Meadows, is scheduled to open no later than early summer 2022.
Bailey’s Health & Fitness often seeks second-generation space, like the closed Stein Mart and Bealls stores, for area expansion.
Bailey said the company has a smaller location at Baymeadows Road and Philips Highway.
The new location allows it to expand and enlarge into the growing market east of Southside Boulevard.
“Our newest location at Point Meadows will offer all of our membership amenities and will include athletic training, team training and a basketball court,” he said.
The Point Meadows gym also will feature a 6,000-square-foot cardio mezzanine, bringing the overall club size to 38,000 square feet.
At Harbour Village, Russco Inc. General Contractors of Fall River, Massachusetts, is the contractor.
Harbour Village landlord Phillips Edison & Co. shows Crunch Fitness on a property brochure in the 32,670-square-foot former Stein Mart space in the middle of the shopping center at northwest San Pablo Road and Atlantic Boulevard.
Crunch Senior Director of Public Relations Jessica Pollack said by email June 29 that nothing was confirmed.
New York City-based Crunch sells franchises. It says it has more than 1.6 million members with more than 360 gyms worldwide in 32 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Spain, Australia and Costa Rica.
It has more than two dozen centers open in Florida, including one in Orange Park.
Crunch.com says it began as one small basement-studio gym in Greenwich Village in 1989.
In January, Crunch Fitness said it ranked No. 52 in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500.
The magazine bases its rankings on costs and fees; size and growth; support; brand strength; and financial strength and stability.
In March, McNaughton said the closed Stein Mart stores in two of Sleiman’s centers were in discussions for lease to new tenants.
He said Sleiman Enterprises was working with two tenants for the Stein Mart at 1848 University Blvd. W. in Lakewood Promenade. The 30,000-square-foot store would be divided for lease.
He said July 5 Sleiman was working with several prospects for that location. He declined to identify them.
Jacksonville-based Stein Mart filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August and closed its stores in late October.
Stein Mart leased from 30,000 to 46,000 square feet of anchor box space at six area properties.
In addition to Harbour Village, Lakewood Promenade and Point Meadows, Stein Mart leased at Roosevelt Square/Ortega Park in West Jacksonville, Riverplace Shopping Center in Mandarin and South Beach Regional in Jacksonville Beach.
Site plans for the Roosevelt, Riverplace and South Beach stores show the spaces are available.
