Southside store being prepared for Academy Sports
Demolition was approved to start preparing empty storefronts for an Academy Sports & Outdoors store at 9041 Southside Blvd.
Target Contractors Inc. will handle interior demolition of space at a project cost of $7,500, according to a permit OK'd by the City.
As reported in March, Academy Sports & Outdoors plans to open in the Southside Boulevard space that formerly housed Circuit City and Linens 'n Things.
An application for a building permit shows a $1.01 million build-out of 78,150 square feet at the shopping center. Target Contractors is shown as the contractor.
The property owner is Shamrock Land Trust LLC, whose trustee is Property Management Support.
Academy Sports & Outdoors has area stores at 11901 Atlantic Blvd. in Jacksonville and at 661 Blanding Blvd. in Orange Park.
The Texas-based company operates more than 150 stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
The academy.com site describes Academy Sports & Outdoors as one of the nation's largest sporting goods and outdoor stores. It is owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P., a global investment firm, and is led by CEO and President Rodney Faldyn.
Dick's OK'd to remodel for Under Armour
The City approved the permit for Dick's Sporting Goods to remodel space at its St. Johns Town Center store for the Under Armour brand.
J. Raymond Construction Corp. is the contractor for the project, which will encompass more than 2,000 square feet at a project cost of $175,000.
As reported in March, Dick's Sporting Goods wants to remodel the Under Armour section of its store in St. Johns Town Center to include new finishes, fitting rooms and the installation of a structure to support a new multimedia billboard.
Plans filed with the City show remodeling of space on the first and second floors of the two-story building.
The dickssportinggoods.com site shows three locations in the area – at St. Johns Town Center, the Orange Park Mall and the new store at River City Marketplace in North Jacksonville.
According to the site, Dick's Sporting Goods Inc., based in Pittsburgh, Pa., was founded in 1948. The company also owns and operates Golf Galaxy LLC, a golf specialty retailer.
Under Armour is a Baltimore-based developer, marketer and distributor of performance apparel, footwear and accessories. Under Armour was founded in 1996 by former University of Maryland football player Kevin Plank.
Saks closing Tampa store at WestShore Plaza
Saks Inc., which was shown on St. Johns Town Center site maps as a possible but unconfirmed future tenant, announced that it plans to close its Saks Fifth Avenue store in the WestShore Plaza in Tampa.
The May 4 closing "is in line with our strategy of using our resources in our most productive Saks Fifth Avenue stores," said Steve Sadove, chairman and CEO of New York-based Saks in a news release.
"We regularly assess the productivity, profitability and potential of each of our stores and may determine that a closing is appropriate from time to time," he said.
The release said about 105 associates are employed in the Tampa store and will be offered transfers or employment separation packages.
The luxury retailer has operated its Saks Fifth Avenue store in Tampa since 1998. It operates nine other Saks Fifth Avenue stores in Florida and plans to open a new Saks Fifth Avenue store in 2014 in Sarasota's Mall at University Town Center.
Saks also operates seven Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH outlet stores throughout the state, including in the St. Augustine Outlets mall.
Saks currently operates 43 Saks Fifth Avenue stores, 66 Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH stores and saks.com.
As reported this week, maps for the St. Johns Town Center found on The Markets at Town Center website show two "proposed" tenants of interest to Jacksonville's luxury-goods shoppers — Neiman Marcus and Saks.
The Markets at Town Center is a separately owned development adjacent to the St. Johns Town Center.
Saks had no statement about that. "It is against our policy to comment," said Julia Bentley, Saks Inc. senior vice president of investor relations.
Lyndsay Rossman, director of marketing and business development at St. Johns Town Center, said the Neiman and Saks brands are placeholders for a Phase 4 anchor.
"There are no plans for Phase 4, nor any stores in that wing at this time," Rossman said.
Phase 3 is under development with a Nordstrom store. Nordstrom is a high-end retailer.
Neiman Marcus said there are no plans announced.
"We have not announced any plans to open a store in Jacksonville," said Ginger Reeder, vice president of corporate communications at Neiman Marcus Group Services of Dallas-based Neiman Marcus Inc.
A site vicinity map and an aerial map on the marketsattowncenter.com site both show a proposed Neiman Marcus or Saks in a wing that would be developed on the southeast side of the St. Johns Town Center, directly opposite the new Nordstrom wing soon to be developed.
The conceptual Neiman/Saks wing would be near the J. Alexander's and Mitchell's Fish Market.