NORTH ATTLEBORO - The Emerald Square Mall was reportedly sold. Was it really?
The mall, at one time the top grossing mall in the northeastern United States, posted on its Facebook page last Friday the following, “New team, fresh energy, and big things ahead. Emerald Square Mall is under new ownership – and we’re all about bringing back the fun, the local love, and the kind of shopping experience that make you want to stay awhile. Let’s make something great together. Reach The Summit.”
"The “Summit” is apparently Summit Properties, listed in a Sun Chronicle article as the mall’s new owner.
North TV spoke to North Attleboro Town Manager Michael Borg about the news involving the town’s top taxpayer. He's not convinced it was actually sold.
Click the video below to watch his reasons.
That interview can be seen in its entirety on North TV’s Community and Government channels: Comcast channels 15 and 98 and Verizon channels 23 and 24.
You can also stream that interview by cutting and pasting this link:
https://government.northtv.net/town-manager-report
One of the mainstays at Emerald Square, and most malls, has again filed for bankruptcy protection.
That retailer is Claire’s, which sells cosmetics, jewelry, hair and fashion accessories for teenagers.
They are probably best known, however, for helping to usher in millions of teens into an important rite of passage — ear piercing.
Struggling with a large debt load and changing consumer tastes, Claire's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday.
Our partners at The Sun Chronicle reported Claire’s said that its stores in North America will remain open and continue to serve customers while it explores all strategic alternatives.
Claire’s Holdings LLC, based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and founded in 1974, also filed for bankruptcy in 2018.
Similar reasons were given then: high debt load and the shift among teens heading online and away from physical stores.
Claire’s and other retailers are also struggling with higher costs tied to tariffs, analysts said.
The bankruptcy filing by Claire's follows the bankruptcies of other teen-oriented retailers, including the discount clothing store Forever 21.
There was a Forever 21 store in Emerald Square.
