Southdale Center, which has struggled to keep and attract tenants in recent years, has landed a high-profile tenant.
Swedish retailer H&M plans to open a store this fall at the Edina shopping center, according to the mall's owner, Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group Inc.
It's the third Twin Cities area store for H&M, which also has stores at the Mall of America and Woodbury Lakes shopping center. The chain has more than 1,800 stores in 34 countries.
Simon said the Southdale H&M will be on two levels in the mall's main courtyard. It will occupy some former ground-level space of Crate & Barrel, which moved to the Galleria shopping center last year, and second-floor space formerly occupied by Twin City Jacuzzi. The Jacuzzi store relocated to Southdale's third level earlier this year, according to Southdale spokeswoman Anne-Marie Cookson.
Cookson declined to say what the addition of H&M will do to Southdale's occupancy, which has dropped in recent years with the loss of Mervyn's as an anchor, Crate & Barrel and other smaller tenants. Figures compiled earlier this year by Bloomington-based NorthMarq showed Southdale's occupancy at 77 percent, compared with at least 95 percent at most other area regional malls.
SUSAN FEYDER
