On Black Friday, take a look at how shifting shopping habits are transforming 5 retail properties in Tampa Bay
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Nov 23, 2018

The biggest shopping day of the year is here: Black Friday, the one day that retailers have been historically guaranteed to finish in the black.

But as more consumers turn to buying online, traditional malls and shopping centers are becoming very different places than they were even 15 years ago. Here's a look at the transformations that have already occurred at retail properties in Tampa Bay - and what's to come in the years ahead.

Westfield Citrus Park A big portion of this enclosed shopping mall in the Tampa suburbs will almost certainly be redeveloped in the years ahead. Sears closed its department store there earlier this year, leaving behind a vacant 123,790-square-foot anchor box on eight acres. Sears still owns the box, according to Hillsborough County property records.

Tyrone Square Mall A major redevelopment project at Tyrone Square Mall in St. Petersburg could be a hint of what's to come for Westfield Citrus Park. When Sears closed that store, it was redeveloped into several smaller storefronts by Seritage Growth Properties (NYSE: SRG), a real estate investment trust created to manage Sears' real estate. Specialty grocer Lucky's Market, Five Below, Petco and Dick's Sporting Goods now stand where Sears once was.

Sam's Club, South Tampa Sam's Club shuttered its South Tampa store in January, along with dozens of others nationwide. If you shop Sam's Club online, there's a chance your items will be shipped from the former store. Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT), the parent company of Sam's Club, is converting the store to a fulfillment center for ecommerce orders.

WestShore Plaza Washington Prime, the Ohio-based owner of WestShore Plaza, is on the verge of a major redevelopment. The property owner confirmed to the Tampa Bay Business Journal that it has negotiated an early termination of the Sears lease and it working on redevelopment plans.

It's early in the process, but real estate experts say the property is suitable for a wide range of uses, from residential to hospitality to entertainment.

University Mall The transformation of University Mall has been years in the making, and a master plan is yet to be revealed. The latest iteration of plans to go public is a vision of transforming the 96-acre property into a a technology and life sciences park in an urban-style village that integrates retail, restaurants and entertainment.