This Crabtree department store will undergo a big renovation. What to know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Belk will renovate its Crabtree store starting in February and finish by the holidays.
- Renovation moves men’s department to storefront and adds wine and coffee bar.
- Store stays open during work; mall owner Macerich pursues separate improvement project.
One of the biggest tenants at Crabtree mall is getting a massive transformation.
Belk, the Charlotte-based department store, is renovating its location at the popular Raleigh shopping center this year.
Work on the store, which is expected to begin in February and be completed by the holiday shopping season, will bring the men’s department to the storefront that currently houses the women’s, kid’s and home departments.
Belk will also be getting a wine and coffee bar, to be located on the main level, and a “refined personal shopper studio.”
Shop-in-shop concepts will be introduced for “premier” brands across departments such as beauty, fine jewelry and designer handbags.
“Belk has been a part of the Crabtree Valley Mall community for over 50 years,” Belk CEO Don Hendricks said in a news release. “We’re proud to continue investing in the Raleigh area and offer our loyal customers a more modern, convenient, and welcoming place to shop.”
The store will remain open throughout the remodel.
“Belk’s consolidation with a full-store model at Crabtree reinforces our commitment to keeping trusted, favorite brands at the center while introducing new offerings and experiences to the community,” Cory Scott, executive vice president of asset management at Macerich, said in a news release.
This isn’t the first time Belk has incorporated hospitality into to one of its stores. The retailer’s location at SouthPark Mall in Charlotte also features a coffee shop and wine bar.
Belk’s in-store renovation project comes as other department store retailers struggle. Macy’s, for example, is closing its Triangle Town Center location, which will allow the company to “focus on improving nearby Macy’s locations and invest in the stores and digital experiences where customers are choosing to shop today.” Saks Global, which owns Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January and is closing most of its Saks Off 5th stores and all Last Call locations.
Updates at Crabtree mall
The Belk renovation is separate from Crabtree owner Macerich’s $60 million “refresh” of the mall, which includes upgrades to features such as lighting, paint and infrastructure.
One change not originally specified in Macerich’s plans for the renovation pertained to retail merchandising units. These small retailers used to line the walkways of the mall but were asked to leave several months ago.
New tenants opening this year at Crabtree include Five Guys, which is joining the food court in March, and Escapology, an escape room.
