With a one-two punch, Eastland Mall has lost all of its remaining anchor stores. Macy’s announced plans back in January to close its Eastland location, and yesterday Sears revealed that it will be closing its store there — along with 71 other locations across the U.S. — sometime in September.
The mall, originally opened 1968, has struggled to remain relevant in the years following the opening of newer facilities including Easton Town Center, Polaris Fashion Place and The mall at Tuttle Crossing. Unlike its crosstown counterpart Westland Mall, which will soon be 100% vacant, Eastland does have internal stores that are still open for business.
2017 has been a tough year for many large chain retail operators that can traditionally be found in malls across the U.S. Sears in particular has already announced a round of closures in January, and in March reported that the company could be headed toward closing all of its stores.
Some experts are predicting that a quarter of all shopping malls in the U.S. could be closed within the next five years.