H&M, a Swedish fast-fashion retailer, will close at Boulevard Mall in early January.
The clothing store, which sells apparel and accessories for men, women and children, is an anchor tenant, with its own entrance on the east side of the mall. A sign in the store’s window says its last day will be Jan. 6.
Mall ownership has been in the process of running out leases and emptying the mall as it prepares to build a town center project in its place – a walkable mix of retail, restaurants, residences and green space.
Stores at the mall will operate through the holiday season, then begin emptying at the beginning of 2024, according to Amherst Supervisor Brian Kulpa. Demolition will begin next year or 2025, depending on whether it’s a private developer or the town that does the work, he said.
Developer Douglas Jemal has owned most of the mall since 2019, with Benderson Development Co. holding a portion and other companies having contractual rights on the site.
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To speed up the process of transforming the site into a town center, the Town Board in 2022 designated the mall an urban renewal area and, with the support of Jemal and Benderson, voted to temporarily take control of the site through eminent domain. The plan is for the town to acquire the properties, then sell them back to the two developers once the legal hurdles are cleared.
Anchor department store J.C. Penney is fighting the process. In October, a panel of appellate court judges sided with the Town of Amherst in its efforts to take by eminent domain the land now occupied by J.C. Penney at the mall, but the department store has appealed.
H&M has locations at Walden Galleria in Cheektowaga and Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls USA in Niagara Falls.