SANTA MONICA, Calif.,
May 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/
-- Macerich (NYSE: MAC), one of the nation's leading owners,
operators and developers of one-of-a-kind retail and mixed-use
properties in top markets, and SCHEELS, one of the largest sporting
goods retailers in the country, today announced Arizona's first SCHEELS store for Chandler
Fashion Center in suburban Phoenix.
The new, two-level 222,000 square-foot SCHEELS is slated to open
in fall 2023 within the location of the property's former Nordstrom
department store, which closed during the pandemic in summer
2020.
This new Arizona SCHEELS will be home to entertainment
attractions, specialty shops and boutiques for sports fans, outdoor
enthusiasts and customers seeking a wide variety of fashion,
footwear and home décor. As well, the store will feature a
16,000-gallon saltwater aquarium, a wildlife mountain, Fuzziwig's
Candy Shop, plus a restaurant and more.
"After studying the Phoenix
market for several years, we are pleased to announce the first
SCHEELS location is coming to Arizona," said SCHEELS CEO Steve M. Scheel. "We are thrilled to be part of
Chandler Fashion Center and want to thank city leadership and the
team at Macerich for help bringing this project to life. We look
forward to working with them throughout the building process as we
become a new partner in the Chandler community and serving the people in
central Arizona when we open our
doors."
A thriving community, Chandler
is located in Phoenix's
fast-growing East Valley. "SCHEELS entrance into the Chandler market speaks volumes about the
dynamic retail environment and vibrant quality of life in
Chandler. With Macerich's leadership, Chandler Fashion Center
continues to iterate with the times and cement itself as a premier
shopping, culinary and entertainment destination. We are excited to
welcome SCHEELS to Chandler along
with their 400 new associates," said Chandler Mayor Kevin
Hartke.
Macerich's President Ed Coppola
agrees that Chandler Fashion Center is an ideal setting for this
high-performing sporting goods retailer to enter the Arizona market. "Nordstrom's closure during
the pandemic presented a unique opportunity for the shopping
center, the community, and our investors. We moved quickly and were
able to announce SCHEELS within a week after acquiring the
building, a testament to the superior quality of our retail
properties. SCHEELS is a best-in-class sporting goods retailer
and we are very pleased that they have chosen to open their first
store in Arizona at Chandler
Fashion Center," said Coppola
Coppola added, "Our Arizona properties, including Chandler
Fashion Center, are performing at a very high level right now, and
we look at our Arizona assets as a
bellwether for the rest of the portfolio, as Arizona has had fewer COVID-related
restrictions. Looking only at the month of March, in Arizona our sales were 18% higher than in
March 2019. This tells us there is
tremendous pent-up consumer demand."
About SCHEELS
Founded in Sabin, Minnesota, at
the turn of the 20th century, SCHEELS today is one of
the largest sporting goods stores in America with over 115 years of
retail experience so people can discover their passions with a
superior quality of customer service and philanthropic support.
SCHEELS is an employee-owned, privately held company with 29
locations open in 13 states, including North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, South
Dakota, Montana,
Wisconsin, Nebraska, Nevada, Illinois, Utah, Kansas,
Texas and Colorado. The Arizona SCHEELS will be the
company's 31st store, following a new store opening in
Montana this fall.
About Macerich
Macerich is a fully integrated, self-managed and
self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT), which
focuses on the acquisition, leasing, management, development and
redevelopment of regional malls throughout the United
States.
Macerich currently owns 50 million square feet of real
estate consisting primarily of interests in 46 regional shopping
centers. Macerich specializes in successful retail
properties in many of the country's most attractive, densely
populated markets with significant presence on the West
Coast, and in Arizona and the Metro New York
to Washington, DC corridor. A recognized leader in
sustainability, Macerich has achieved the #1 GRESB
ranking in the North American Retail Sector for six straight years
(2015 – 2020). Additional information about Macerich can
be obtained from the Company's website
at www.Macerich.com.
CONTACT: Karen Maurer,
602-708-6311
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SOURCE Macerich Company