CBL malls to add 232k sq. ft. of entertainment options

The new motto of one of the nation’s largest mall owners appears to be “Let us entertain you.”

CBL properties, which replaced empty anchor spaces with casinos at two of its malls in Pennsylvania, is moving apace with its strategy to position entertainment brands as traffic draws at its 94 centers in the United States.

 “We are pleased to announce the additions of Tilt, Main Event, and Stars and Strikes, further diversifying the mix of tenants available at each of these properties and solidifying them as entertainment destinations in their respective markets,” said CBL CEO Stephen Lebovitz.

CBL’s newest signings:

• Tilt will open in the former Scheels sporting goods location, occupying nearly 50,000 sq. ft. at Dakota Square in Minot, N.D. Scheels moved to a larger space the former Sears building at the property.
• Tilt’s second expansion in North Dakota will be at Kirkwood Mall in Bismarck in a 92,500-sq.-ft space located in the former Herberger’s building. CBL this year completed a redevelopment of a parking lot at Kirkwood to make room for a restaurant row including Chick-fil-A, Blaze Pizza, and Panchero’s Mexican Grill.
• Stars and Strikes will occupy 52,000 sq. ft. in the former Dick’s Sporting Goods space at Coastal Grand Mall in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Dick’s has relocated to a larger location at the property that includes its Golf Galaxy concept.
• Main Event has signed a lease for a 38,000-sq.-ft. space Cross Creek Mall in Fayetteville, N.C., as part of CBL’s Sears redevelopment that includes Rooms To Go and Longhorn Steakhouse.

The signings are part of five-year-long effort undertaken by the Chattanooga, Tenn.-based mall owner that has seen the opening of large-scale entertainment options throughout its portfolio.

The most impactful additions were the Live! Casino at Westmoreland Mall and the Hollywood Casino at York Galleria mall in Pennsylvania that filled large anchor spaces.

“It was a bold move, and one we had reservations about initially. Not anymore,” Lebovitz wrote in the November-December issue of Chain Store Age. “Both malls have extended their market share and traffic has continued to increase double digits, far exceeding pre-pandemic numbers.”

CBL currently has several other non-retail uses in various stages of negotiation, including a multi-family residential project, 23 restaurants, four hotels, and seven medical uses.