By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune Contributor
Florence Square on Mall Road will add two trendy restaurants and a major retailer later this year.
Burlington Coat Factory has announced plans to fill the space previously occupied by the old Kroger store.
A new outlot currently under construction near the center entrance on Mall Road will house three tenants, including the restaurants Tom+Chee and First Watch.
A new Burlington store at the south end of Florence Square will be opened in the fall in the space formerly occupied by Kroger.
The third tenant has not been announced.
New York-based Brixmor Property Group, the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) that owns Florence Square, declined to comment on the new tenants.
Florence Mayor Diane Whalen said the upgrades to Mall Road have made one of the region’s most desirable retail hubs even more attractive to merchants.
“The ongoing private investment from property owners and developers along Mall Road is illustrative of the continuing results from the public infrastructure improvements that have been made in the corridor,” Whalen said. “We appreciate Brixmor’s commitment to Florence, and we look forward to working with them on other projects as well.”
The $13 million, state-funded Mall Road reconstruction project has spurred additional interest from merchants in what was already one of the region’s busiest retail hubs.
Burlington confirmed the opening of the new 44,473-square-foot off-retail store at 7747 Mall Road.
“We are thrilled to open a new Burlington in the Florence community, bringing even more jobs to the neighborhood and providing local residents with a value shopping experience,” Burlington chairman Tom Kingsbury said in a statement.
The new store, which will be the sixth in the Greater Cincinnati area, is expected to add between 50 and 100 local jobs.
The store will feature ladies apparel and accessories, menswear, family footwear, children’s clothing, home décor and gift items, and outerwear.
The company advertises name-brand merchandise at up to 65 percent off department store prices.
There will also be a broad assortment of furniture and accessories for babies at Baby Depot, located within the store.
Florida-based First Watch, which was one of the first restaurant chains to focus strictly on the breakfast/lunch business, is open from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Eleni Kouvatsos, public relations and communications manager for First Watch, said the restaurant is looking forward to opening its 11th Greater Cincinnati location in the popular retail hub.
“We are planning to open in late September in Florence,” Kouvatsos said.
Kevin Wall, director/zoning administrator for the Boone County Planning Commission, said the 8,000-square-foot, freestanding outlot building will be divided into thirds.
Wall said First Watch and Tom+Chee will anchor each end of the building and the center tenant could be occupied by another eatery or a retailer.
“It’s really a good fit for either of those,” Wall said. “The overall development can share the parking because they have plenty of spaces under our standards for Mall Road.”
Tom+Chee is the Cincinnati-based restaurant chain that started with a griddle and a tent, selling soup and sandwiches next to the ice-skating rink on Fountain Square.
Since that time the restaurant has gained national attention through appearances on ABC’s “Shark Tank” and received more than 9,000 inquiries from people interested in opening a franchise.
By the end of 2014, the restaurant had 19 locations and plans to significantly grow the business this year.
Tom+Chee has remained true to its original concept centered around tomato soup and grilled cheese, but the menu now includes more than 25 sandwiches.
It’s selection of grilled cheese donuts are among its more unique and popular items.
Wall said Brixmor’s aggressive efforts to maintain and upgrade Florence Square is paying dividends for the property owner, the City of Florence and the county.
Just a few years ago, Florence Square, one of the older shopping centers on Mall Road, needed significant upgrades.
A movie theater located in the center of the property had been vacant for years and the Kroger store, one of the oldest in the region, had outlived its usefulness.
Brixmor, however, secured an agreement for a 123,000-square-foot Kroger Marketplace centered around the movie theater space.
The Marketplace, which is the grocer’s largest footprint model and includes a fuel center, a pharmacy and an adjacent liquor store, opened last year.
Brixmor paid a premium to obtain a large parcel on Cayton Boulevard, a connecting road that provided additional space and clinched the deal with Kroger.
“(Florence Square has) had a few owners over the years, but Brixmor has a high standard of propriety and a pride of ownership,” Wall said.
The addition of the Burlington store at the old Kroger site also allows Brixmor to repurpose an existing space and secure a brand-name tenant as the southern anchor of the property.
The outlot building at Florence Square is scheduled for completion later this year. The Burlington store and the restaurants are expected to open in the fall.
