Triangle Town Center won’t open Thanksgiving Day

Triangle Town Center wants you to stay home Thanksgiving Day.

CBL & Associates Properties, a joint venture owner of the North Raleigh mall, announced Wednesday afternoon that the mall will not open on Thanksgiving this year. The company also owns Cary Towne Center, which will be closed on Thanksgiving.

“We want to bring back the excitement of Black Friday shopping as the true start of the holiday shopping season and allow our employees, retailers, and shoppers to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their families,” Stephen Lebovitz, president and CEO of the company, said in a statement. “After evaluating feedback from our mall employees, retail partners, and input from our shoppers we determined that this was the best decision for our properties.”

Over the years, many malls and retail stores, including Walmart and Target, have opened on Thanksgiving day, promising shoppers a jump-start on Black Friday deals. But some companies are resisting the trend as some people say Thanksgiving is a day for family and feasts, not bargains on big-screen televisions.

Last year, retailers such as Mooresville-based Lowes Home Improvement, Marshalls, T.J. Maxx and Nordstrom did not open on Thanksgiving Day, and outdoor retailer REI was closed on both Thanksgiving and Black Friday. So far this year, Staples, Costco, Crate and Barrel and Ikea have said they will close on Thanksgiving.

A survey by PricewaterhouseCooper found that 49 percent of retailers plan to be open on Thanksgiving. Nine percent said they weren’t yet certain what they would do that day.

At Triangle Town Center, department stores, movie theaters and retailers with exterior entrances will have the option of opening their stores on Thanksgiving, CBL said. The mall’s major stores include Belk, Dillard’s, Macy’s, Sears and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Access to the mall’s common areas will remain closed until 6 a.m. Friday.

Representatives of Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh and the Streets at Southpoint in Durham said they expect a decision next week on whether the malls will open on Thanksgiving.

“We are still getting feedback from all our stores,” said Amanda Pulley, an office manager for Crabtree.

Last year, the Streets at Southpoint gave stores the option of opening from 6 p.m. to midnight on Thanksgiving.

This story was originally published October 12, 2016 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Triangle Town Center won’t open Thanksgiving Day."