Eyeing a spot in the Windham Mall, Marshalls, one of the nation’s leading discount family clothing and home fashion retailers, submitted sketch plans to the Windham Planning Board last week.
The company will knock down walls inside the mall to make space and reconfigure internally, including possibly adding a separate entrance, says Keith Luke, Windham Eceonomic Development Director.
“This is a much-needed style of retail in the North Windham Business District,” Luke said. “Besides Levinsky’s, Wal-Mart and the Clothing Wearhouse, apparel shopping opportunities are few and far between.”
According to a company spokesperson, Marshalls offers apparel for ladies, juniors, men and children for prices 20 to 60 percent less than regular department stores, specialty boutiques and catalogs.
“This is a good and welcomed thing for Windham and especially for the Windham Mall. It’ll help reinvigorate what has been an underperforming property,” Luke said.
Although, TJX Companies, parent company of T.J. Maxx which acquired Marshalls a few years ago, cannot confirm the signing of a lease with owners of the mall. However, the spokesperson said if preliminary plans have been submitted, “chances are the store will not be built until 2007.”
There have been rumors of other stores eying the Windham Mall, such as Target, but Luke says speculation of Target moving to Windham Mall is merely that, speculation.
“First of all, that facility (the Windham Mall) isn’t big enough to accommodate a store the size of a Target. And while there may have been talk a while ago about a Target moving into North Windham, I’d say any new Target development anywhere is pretty scarce right now,” Luke said.
-John Balentine contributed to this report
Send questions/comments to the editors.
