Discount retailer poised to move into former Bed Bath & Beyond space in Tuscaloosa

Mark Hughes Cobb, Tuscaloosa News
·2 min read

Discount retailer Burlington will move into the old Bed Bath & Beyond space in the Shoppes at Legacy Park, possibly in time for Christmas.

But "before Christmas" is an unofficial target date, said District 5 Councilor Kip Tyner.

More: What does the future hold for Tuscaloosa's once-thriving malls?

"That's what I was told," Tyner said. "That's their goal."

Legacy Park, which opened in 2015 on the site of the old Cedar Crest neighborhood after the April 27, 2011, tornado decimated that area, is in Tyner's district. District 5 is centered on Tyner's home of Alberta, defined as east of McFarland Boulevard/U.S. Highway 82, south of the Black Warrior River, west of Holt and north of Veterans Memorial Parkway/15th Street East

Bed, Bath and Beyond declared bankruptcy and has closed its store at the Shoppes at Legacy Park in Tuscaloosa. The store was one of the original tenants of the shopping center, which opened in 2015 off McFarland Boulevard.
Bed, Bath and Beyond declared bankruptcy and has closed its store at the Shoppes at Legacy Park in Tuscaloosa. The store was one of the original tenants of the shopping center, which opened in 2015 off McFarland Boulevard.

After declaring bankruptcy in April, and beginning transition to online-only presence, Bed Bath & Beyond auctioned off 109 of its leases in late June. Burlington was the biggest winner, picking up 44 of those spots for $12 million; outside the auction, it bought six more for another $1.53 million. Michael's and Havertys picked up nine and four, respectively, and Barnes and Noble and Macy's got one each, in North Carolina and Florida.

Burlington.com shows more than 70 new store openings planned for this fall around the country and in Puerto Rico, but Tuscaloosa isn't yet listed with an opening target.

Founded 52 years ago as Burlington Coat Factory, Burlington is an off-price (branded goods purchased in bulk, sold at discount pricing) department store retailer, third-largest after TJX Companies (TJ Maxx) and Ross, with more than 1,000 stores. The company is based in Burlington, New Jersey.

Alabama now has Burlingtons in Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery, Dothan and Anniston, with more on the way in that fall opening rollout.

"It's like the old department stores, like we used to be so familiar with," Tyner said, from University Mall and McFarland Mall, such as Gayfer's, Dillard's, McRae's, Pizitz and Parisian.

"I worked with Burlington years ago, when they were wanting to go in (at the old Dillard's location at McFarland Mall), but that fell through. So they have really really been wanting to be in Tuscaloosa."

After sharing the good news on social media Tuesday, Tyner quickly saw more than 600 positive responses.

"I was shocked at the number of people who drive to Birmingham to go to Burlington," he said.

The Legacy Park's 22,500-square-foot Bed Bath & Beyond spot is empty now, so Tyner was pleased that there would be such a relatively quick turnaround. The center, which also features Dick's Sporting Goods, Fresh Market and others, has seen some of its smaller tenants lapse, such as Nothing but Noodles and Chuy's, but this is the first of its anchor spaces to change.

"You don't like to see these empty stores, so I'm happy to see this," Tyner said.

Reach Mark Hughes Cobb at mark.cobb@tuscaloosanews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: New retailer will move into Shoppes at Legacy Park in Tuscaloosa