Macy's to close its Northgate Mall store a year early
SEATTLE - Macy's Inc. will close its Northgate Mall store nearly a year earlier than previously announced, company officials confirmed Wednesday, as the mall forges ahead with a major renovation.
Original plans called for Macy's Northgate outlet to shut its doors in March 2020, but that date has now been moved up to mid-2019. A clearance sale will begin next month and continue for eight to 12 weeks, said Macy's spokesperson Emily Workman.
The decision to close early was made after the company reviewed its nationwide real estate portfolio "to see if there are opportunities to improve the use of our assets," Workman said.
"The decision to close stores is always a difficult one, but Macy’s is delighted to have served the Seattle community over the past 70 years, and we look forward to continuing to do so at the nearby Macy’s stores in downtown Seattle and Lynnwood and online at macys.com," she added.
Workman said employees at Macy's Northgate store who can't be placed at other nearby stores will be eligible for severance, including outplacement resources.
Northgate Mall, which was the first regional shopping mall in the U.S. when it opened in 1950, is undergoing a massive transformation that began in 2005 with the demolition of the Northgate Theater, a medical center and a Red Robin restaurantat the northwest corner of the property..
When complete, the renovation will incorporate a mix of entertainment, retail, office and recreation structures, including a new ice center that will be the home and practice center for Seattle's new NHL team.
In addition to the ice center, over 1.3 million square feet of mixed-use office, retail and parking space is proposed to the site with over 1,000 housing units in four mixed-use residential towers and two hotels totaling 372 rooms with easy access to transit facilities.
