Three large retailers plan to leave South Portland to relocate just 2.5 miles away in new facilities in Scarborough.

Marshalls, HomeGoods and Bob’s Discount Furniture plan to move from The Shops at Clarks Pond, located at 333 Clarks Pond Parkway, to Gallery Place at 700 Gallery Blvd.

“Retail has changed over the past 40 to 50 years. It’s changed to focus on the customer experience. Things like nice lighting, nice entrances, parking convenience, it’s part of what’s driving where retailers are locating,” said South Portland Mayor Jerry Jalbert. “Clarks Pond was developed about 30 years ago. It make sense that any property of that age might need to have some work done. You want to make sure you offer a great customer experience and have a great mix of tenants.”

Jalbert said he did not know what the future plans for Clarks Pond might be since it is privately owned by CPSP LLC, a company controlled by Portland-area landlord Joseph Soley. The Clarks Pond center also includes Home Depot, Jenny Craig and the Cinemagic movie theater.

Soley could not be immediately reached for comment.

According to LoopNet.com, a commercial property listing site, Bob’s Discount Furniture and Marshall’s are listed as anchor tenants of the Clarks Pond strip center. Lease rates are listed in the range of $8-$12 per square foot annually.

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Bob’s Discount Furniture and TJX Cos. Inc., the owner of Marshalls and HomeGoods, did not return requests for comment on the move.

The departure of three tenants could prompt Clarks Pond to do some necessary updates and facade changes, said Karen Rich, who specializes in retail real estate for Cardente Real Estate in Portland.

“It’s gotten a little tired there, but the location is fabulous. If they get updated, I bet they will fill those boxes within a year,” Rich said. “There’s just a lot of new retailers looking around.”

The new development in Scarborough, which is being developed by Waterstone Retail of Massachusetts, already includes Walmart, Lowe’s and a Texas Roadhouse restaurant. Waterstone did not return calls seeking comment. But according to its website, it also operates the Kittery Outlet Center on Route 1 in Kittery and 16 other shopping plazas in New England.

The Scarborough planning board is expected to weigh the Gallery Place development at a meeting on Monday, town planner Jay Chace said. The new retail center will be about 112,000-square-feet.

Chace said the application did not include names of planned tenants or the cost of the development. Monday’s meeting will focus on the project’s parking issues, pedestrian walkways and lighting and Waterstone will return at a later date with more details, Chace said.

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Although South Portland will be losing tenants at Clarks Pond, the Maine Mall has been attracting new names, such as the Microsoft store, Michael Kors and Linda Bean’s Lobster Boat Cafe, Jalbert noted.

Jessica Hall may be reached at 791-6316 or at:

jhall@pressherald.com

@JessicaHallPPH

 


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