Morning Headlines: PREIT Sees Possibility in JCPenney Closure

Screen shot of JCPenney at Exton Square Mall via Google Street View

JCPenney will be shutting down 33 of its department stores, one of which is located at the Exton Square Mall. However, it looks like the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT), the mall’s current owner since 2003, is seeing this as a “when one door closes, another opens” moment.

PREIT has a strong track record in redevelopment of its malls (Cherry Hill, Moorestown, and perhaps, the Gallery?) so the soon-to-be-free 118,00-square-foot space will actually allow the company to re-envision Exton as a retail draw.

PREIT CEO Joseph Cordiano told the Philadelphia Business Journal:

“This is a tremendous opportunity for PREIT. Having control over the JCPenney and Kmart locations will allow us to reposition Exton Square Mall by capitalizing on the stellar demographic profile of the area, which is the best in our portfolio.”

With Penney’s closing, PREIT will reposition Exton Square [Philadelphia Business Journal]

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