Also coming to mall are Ollie’s, Appalachian Axe. Co of Westover
WVU Medicine will take 80,000 square feet of space at the Morgantown Mall for what is being described as a fulfillment center.
The WVU Medicine fulfillment center will in the former Sears department store, one of the mall’s original anchor stores when it opened in 1990. Sears left the mall more than two years ago.
“WVU Medicine will be leasing the entire space formerly occupied by Sears, which is 80,000 square feet,” said Kim Green, vice president of Investor Relations & Corporate Communication for the Washington Prime Group, the Columbus-based Real Estate Investment Trust that owns the mall.
Washington Prime said the space will be used by WVU Medicine for logistics and distribution.
“They will use the space for fulfillment to serve their broader WVU Medicine network,” Green said in an email to The Dominion Post.
Transforming retail space into other uses is part of the Fulventory initiative launched in February by Washington Prime.
Fulventory focuses on innovative logistics and warehouse solutions at its properties across the country to fill space by retailers no longer in business, or have been forced to scale down operations because of people’s growing preference for online shopping.
“The logistics and warehouse utilization of the Morgantown Mall space by WVU Medicine further exhibits the viability of Fulventory,” said Lou Conforti, Washington Prime’s CEO and director, said in a statement. WVU Medicine did not respond in time for this report.
Recently, mall officials confirmed Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, the Harrisburg, Pa.-based deep discounter, is going into a portion of the space once occupied by Belk department store, which left the mall in 2018.
Ollie’s decision to take over the Belk space follows Dunham’s Sports recent opening in the former Elder Beerman department store space.
Also, Appalachian Axe Co. of Westover — which offers patrons a chance to throw axes at bull’s-eye targets and sells handcrafted home goods — went into 2,640 square feet of space between Bath and Body Works and Ace’s Breakaway and Play.
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