EXCLUSIVE: HomeGoods retailer coming to Toys ‘R Us Spot in McFarland Plaza
GBT Realty Corporation, a commercial developer headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, is bringing a HomeGoods discount retail store to the site of the closed Toys 'R Us in McFarland Plaza, the company announced Wednesday afternoon.
Alan J. Lloyd, GBT's senior vice president of leasing, said his company is glad to house TJ Maxx, Shoe Station, HomeGoods and more at the heart of Tuscaloosa's dominant retail corridor.
“The closing of Toys ‘R’ Us gave us the opportunity to introduce new retail concepts to this vibrant college market that was named the fastest growing city in Alabama in 2017 expanding by more than 10 percent since 2010,” Lloyd said. “These retailers have hundreds of high-volume stores throughout the country that cater to the value-oriented shopper in search of the best deal and greatest discounts.”
Expected to open in this summer, HomeGoods is set to occupy the 23,000-square foot storefront adjacent to TJ Maxx that housed Toys ‘R Us until the store closed last year. HomeGoods, a discount retailer, currently operates more than 500 stores that deliver top brands and home fashions at value prices.
GBT acquired McFarland Plaza in September 2017 and has improved its facade and landscaping significantly since then. The center is now 97 percent leased, and Lloyd said GBT's focus will now shift to finding a few smaller operations, including quick-service restaurants, financial services and medical or dental chains to fill the remaining small shop space.