Fox River Mall
Fox River Mall is an enclosed super-regional shopping center located in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, United States, which serves the Appleton, Wisconsin metropolitan area. It is a major driver of the local economy and its construction helped spur the growth of the Grand Chute shopping district, which is today known as the "shopping capital of Wisconsin". At 1.21 million square feet, it is the largest mall in the state.[2]
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 Main food court entrance | |
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| Location | Grand Chute, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 44.26899°N 88.47033°W |
| Address | 4301 W. Wisconsin Ave., Appleton, WI 54913 |
| Opening date | July 18, 1984 |
| Owner | Brookfield Properties Retail Group |
| No. of stores and services | 136 (As of December 2018) |
| No. of anchor tenants | 6 (4 open, 2 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area |
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| No. of floors | 2 |
| Public transit access | Valley Transit Stop near Target |
| Website | www |
| Source: mall website[1] | |
It is currently anchored by JCPenney, Macy's (formerly Dayton's and later Marshall Field's), Scheels All Sports, and Target.[3], with two vacant anchor spaces last occupied by Younkers (formerly H. C. Prange) and Sears.
History
Before the mall was built, the Appleton Metropolitan area was considered to be the only major metropolitan area in the United States that did not have a major regional mall to strengthen its economy. Local business leaders got together and encouraged a developer to build a mall. At this time the west side of Interstate 41 was largely undeveloped, making it the perfect place to build the mall. Since its opening, this region has been greatly developed and brings many visitors and businesses to the Appleton Metropolitan area. Today it contributes about 1 billion dollars annually to the local economy.[2][4]
The mall opened on July 18, 1984, with one anchor store, Sears, along with 67 other stores, a movie theater, and a Walgreens drugstore. Expanded several times in its history, with the last major renovation occurring in 2004, it became the largest mall in Wisconsin in 2014, with 1.2 million square feet.[2]
In May 2018, the mall's Younkers location closed. It had been an anchor tenant for 26 years.[5]
On December 28, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 80 stores nationwide. The store closed on March 17, 2019.[6] [7]
The Sears and Younkers stores are expected to be redeveloped by the mall in the future, though nothing has yet been announced.
Facilities
The Fox River Mall is located on approximately 137 acres (0.55 km2) of land. It is the largest shopping mall in Wisconsin, with over 140 stores.[3][2] It has a food court called the Northwoods Café, which includes more than a dozen counter vendors.[3] Fox River Plaza is a strip mall on the premises.
The main campus has a total retail area of 1,183,953 sq ft (109,992.8 m2). Some stores and restaurants are located in separate outbuildings off the main campus, making for a total retail area of 1,210,000 sq ft (112,000 m2).[2]
Fox River Mall is owned by Brookfield Properties Retail Group
References
- "Shopping Mall in Appleton, WI | Fox River Mall". foxrivermall.com.
- "The Buzz: Fox River Mall Turns 30". The Post Crescent. Appleton, WI. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- "Fox River Mall Directory & Map". www.foxrivermall.com. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
- "Appleton timeline". www.apl.org. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- Wallenfang, Maureen (January 31, 2018). "Younkers, an anchor store at Fox River Mall since 1992, to close". The Post-Crescent. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
- Thomas, Lauren (December 28, 2018). "Sears is closing 80 more stores in March, faces possible liquidation". CNBC. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- "The Buzz: Goodbye Sears". Post-Crescent Media. Retrieved March 18, 2019.