Despite shuttering stores nationwide, Sears looks like it could be making a comeback in suburban Los Angeles.
Signs reading "coming soon" have appeared at the nearly 130,000-square-foot Sears at the Burbank Town Center at 111 E. Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank, California, said Eric Maenner, the mall's general manager. Posts about the signs have appeared on social media after the once iconic American retailer announced it was closing the location in late 2022.
Meanwhile, Sears is attempting to sublease its Burbank Town Center space, according to marketing materials, in what could be an alternative strategy depending on what a potential tenant might be willing to pay. JLL is marketing the entire space for sublease, and as for the chain's plans for the location — reopening a store or taking on a new tenant — "we haven't had feedback from them," said Liam Bredberg, an associate with the brokerage.
Asked about the prospect of the Sears reopening, Maenner said: "Your guess is good as mine. We really haven't gotten any guidance from them. We're in wait-and-see mode."
The potential reopening is another twist in Sears years-long saga of mostly closing stores across the United States after decades of operating as one of America's largest retailers. The company, which once counted stores in the hundreds, now has roughly a dozen locations nationally. In December 2022, Sears spin-off Sears Hometown Stores, based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Sears is owned by Transformco.
Sears has experimented in reopening stores it previously shuttered. For example, the retailer reopened its location in the L.A. neighborhood of North Hollywood in November 2017, according to the Los Angeles Daily News, and reopened a store in Oak Brook, Illinois, in 2018, according to Business Insider. Both stores later closed.
Shuttered Sears have been targeted for redevelopment projects. In Glendale, California, a Sears may become hundreds of apartments in the city's downtown area, and a Sears in suburban Chicago may become an e-commerce distribution hub.
The closest still operating Sears store to the Burbank location is located at 15600 Whittwood Lane in Whittier, California, roughly 20 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, according to Sears' website.
For the Record
JLL's Liam Bredberg, Shauna Mattis, Ian Jost and Francesca Howard are marketing the Sears Burbank Town Center space for sublease.
Linda Moss contributed to this story.