GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Without a last-minute rescue plan, about 200 Toys R Us stores, including locations in West Michigan, will soon close up.
Getting tenants to fill the spaces left vacant when the toy retailer moves out may not be all that difficult, thanks to the three things that help sell real estate the most: Location, location, location.
"Most of the time, a Toys R Us building is going to be at Main and Main, best corner in town. We'll have other folks who want to fill that spot in a heartbeat," said Mark Ansara, Colliers International’s associate vice president for West Michigan Retail.
Ansara said the demise of big-box stores has not created a glut of empty big-box space.
For example, the former MC Sporting Goods stores. Most either have new tenants or new commitments, like the 28th Street location, which is now a furniture store.
Sears at Woodland Mall has been torn down to make room for an expanded mall, including another department store scheduled to open next year.
For some empty spaces, smaller is better. The former Menards at the CenterPoint mall off 28th Street was broken up into a fitness center and kid’s trampoline park.
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