77Kids apparel store to close at City Creek Center
By LESLEY MITCHELL
The Salt Lake Tribune
First published Jun 28 2012 07:35PM
City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake City is losing a tenant for the first time, Children’s apparel retailer 77Kids.
The closure on the second floor of the 3-month-old shopping center stems from a decision by American Eagle Outfitters to exit the children’s apparel business, which includes 22 77Kids stores and a website.
A closing date hasn’t been set, said City Creek general manager Linda Wardell, adding that "we expect to welcome a new retailer in that space soon."
Wardell said the center’s American Eagle store is unaffected by the announcement.
American Eagle Outfitters said the 77Kids brand had an after-tax loss of $24 million on sales of $40 million in fiscal 2011.
City Creek Center, which is owned and operated by Taubman Centers Inc., has about 90 retailers and restaurants in 700,000 square feet of space, including anchor stores Macy’s and Nordstrom.
Although the center is losing 77Kids, it is gaining the Apple Store, which has given notice at The Gateway shopping center several blocks away in downtown Salt Lake City that it is closing by the end of the year.
On Wednesday, True Religion Brand Jeans opened a store in City Creek Center. An Aveda salon and an Anthropologie store — also moving from The Gateway – are under construction and set to open in August.
The mall is part of a larger City Creek project that also includes condominiums and office space, and was built by the development arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
