Newport Centre
A major shopping mall in the Newport waterfront community of Jersey City, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Newport Centre, also commonly called Newport Mall, is a large shopping mall in Jersey City, New Jersey. It forms a central retail component of Newport, a mixed-use waterfront development on the Hudson River facing Lower Manhattan. The complex is located at 30 Mall Drive West and occupies a site bounded by Henderson Street, Mall Drive East, Sixth Street, and Newport Parkway. The mall has approximately 1.15 million square feet of gross leasable area and is managed by Simon Property Group, which operates a substantial portfolio of shopping centers in the United States. The mall opened during the expansion of the Newport waterfront community. It partially opened on October 14, 1987, with Sears and Stern's serving as two of the original anchor stores. Its formal opening took place on November 11, 1987, with New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean and Senator Frank Lautenberg among the attendees. At opening, the center had about 75 tenants, including Sam Goody, Benetton, Eddie Bauer, and Hallmark. The development was intended to serve the growing residential population of Newport, nearby Jersey City neighborhoods, and shoppers from Bergen County, where Sunday blue laws historically limited shopping opportunities. JCPenney opened at the center in October 1989, completing a major portion of the mall's original anchor strategy. The department-store lineup subsequently changed as retail companies consolidated or closed divisions. When Federated Department Stores discontinued the Stern's brand in 2001, the Newport location was associated with Macy's. A new Macy's store opened on November 6, 2002, relocating employees from the former Stern's operation. Kohl's later took over the former Stern's space and opened there in October 2006. Newport Centre's current tenant mix combines department stores, off-price and value-oriented apparel, specialty retail, entertainment, dining, and large-format sporting goods. Its anchor lineup includes JCPenney, Kohl's, Macy's, Primark, Dick's House of Sport, and AMC Theatres. Primark and Dick's House of Sport replaced Sears after Sears announced the closure of its Newport location in 2024. Primark opened in August 2025, and Dick's House of Sport followed the next month, according to the cited reference material. The mall is closely integrated with the wider Newport complex, which includes Newport Tower, one of Jersey City's tallest buildings. It benefits from direct regional transit access through the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail's Pavonia/Newport station and the PATH system's Newport station. New Jersey Transit bus services also connect the center with Jersey City Heights and communities in North Hudson. Newport Centre and the nearby Hudson Mall are located within an Urban Enterprise Zone, where eligible purchases may receive a reduced New Jersey sales-tax rate; clothing is generally exempt from sales tax under state rules. The center temporarily closed in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic following municipal and state orders, reopening on June 29, 2020. Today it remains an active regional shopping and entertainment destination serving residents, commuters, office workers, and visitors to the Hudson waterfront.
History
Newport Centre was developed as the principal retail component of the Newport waterfront redevelopment in Jersey City. The mall was designed to serve a newly expanding mixed-use district as well as established communities in Jersey City and the wider Hudson County area. Its location across the Hudson River from Manhattan gave it a regional customer base, while its proximity to Bergen County offered an additional market at a time when Sunday shopping restrictions in that county limited access to competing malls on Sundays. The center partially opened on October 14, 1987, with Sears and Stern's operating as two of its four planned anchor positions. Its official opening followed on November 11, 1987. The ceremony was attended by New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean and United States Senator Frank Lautenberg. The mall opened with approximately 75 tenants, including nationally recognized retailers such as Sam Goody, Benetton, Eddie Bauer, and Hallmark. Contemporary descriptions characterized the project as a roughly 1.2-million-square-foot shopping center, while later figures identify approximately 1.15 million square feet of gross leasable area. JCPenney opened on October 4, 1989. For several years, the center operated with three principal department-store anchors while the identity of a fourth major anchor remained unresolved. The tenant structure changed substantially during the early twenty-first-century department-store consolidation cycle. Federated Department Stores ended the Stern's chain in 2001, and the Newport location became associated with Macy's. Rather than simply retaining the former store as the long-term Macy's format, the redevelopment plan included a new Macy's building. That store opened on November 6, 2002, with approximately 300 employees transferred from the former Stern's/Macy's operation. The former Stern's premises later became a Kohl's location. Kohl's opening on October 1, 2006, gave Newport Centre a new value-focused department-store anchor and diversified its offer beyond traditional full-line department stores. Through the following years, the mall continued to combine large anchors with smaller fashion, service, dining, and entertainment tenants. AMC Theatres became part of the anchor lineup, reinforcing the center's role as an entertainment destination rather than solely a merchandise-oriented mall. Newport Centre was temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop ordered the closure on March 16, 2020, and Governor Phil Murphy confirmed a broader temporary closure order affecting New Jersey malls the following day. The center reopened on June 29, 2020, subject to the public-health conditions and operating rules then in force. A later redevelopment phase followed Sears's decline. On January 5, 2024, the mall announced that Sears would close in spring 2024. The vacated space was allocated to Primark and Dick's House of Sport, bringing a fast-fashion retailer and an experiential sporting-goods concept into the anchor lineup. Primark opened on August 14, 2025, and Dick's House of Sport opened the following month according to the cited reference material. The mall remains part of the broader Newport complex, which includes Newport Tower and residential, office, and transportation infrastructure. Its regional accessibility is supported by the Pavonia/Newport Hudson-Bergen Light Rail station, the Newport PATH station, and New Jersey Transit buses serving Jersey City Heights and North Hudson communities. Its Urban Enterprise Zone location can reduce the sales tax charged on eligible purchases, while clothing is not subject to New Jersey sales tax. Simon Property Group manages the property as one of its New Jersey shopping centers.
- 2025
Primark and Dick's House of Sport open
[1]Primark opened in August and Dick's House of Sport opened the following month in the former Sears area.
- 2024
Sears replacement plan announced
[1]The closure of Sears was announced, with Primark and Dick's House of Sport planned for the vacated anchor space.
- 2020
Pandemic closure and reopening
[1]The mall closed in March under municipal and state COVID-19 orders and reopened on June 29.
- 2006
Kohl's opens
[1]Kohl's opened on October 1 in the former Stern's space.
- 2002
New Macy's store opens
[1]A new Macy's store opened on November 6 and absorbed employees from the former Stern's/Macy's building.
- 2001
Stern's division closes
[1]Federated Department Stores ended the Stern's division, leading to the Newport location's transition toward Macy's.
- 1989
JCPenney opens
[1]JCPenney opened on October 4, adding a major department-store anchor to the center.
- 1987
Partial opening
[1]Newport Centre partially opened on October 14 with Sears and Stern's among its operating anchor stores.
- 1987
Official opening
[1]The mall officially opened on November 11 with approximately 75 tenants and a ceremony attended by New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean and Senator Frank Lautenberg.
Products and positioning
A large, transit-accessible urban shopping and entertainment center serving Jersey City, the Newport waterfront, nearby Hudson County communities, and visitors from the New York metropolitan area.
Department store · 1989
JCPenney
JCPenney is a full-line department-store anchor offering apparel, footwear, beauty products, household merchandise, and related services. It has been part of Newport Centre since opening at the mall in 1989.
Department store · 2006
Kohl's
Kohl's occupies the former Stern's anchor space and provides value-oriented apparel, accessories, home goods, beauty products, and seasonal merchandise. The store opened at Newport Centre in 2006.
Department store · 2002
Macy's
Macy's is a major department-store anchor offering fashion, accessories, beauty, home furnishings, and other general merchandise. It succeeded the Stern's presence and moved into a new store at the mall in 2002.
Value fashion retailer · 2025
Primark
Primark is a value-focused apparel and lifestyle retailer offering clothing, footwear, accessories, beauty products, and selected home merchandise. Its Newport Centre store opened in the former Sears space in August 2025.
Sporting-goods retailer · 2025
Dick's House of Sport
Dick's House of Sport is a large-format sporting-goods concept combining athletic apparel, footwear, equipment, and experiential retail elements. It opened at Newport Centre in the former Sears area after the 2024 redevelopment announcement.
Cinema and entertainment
AMC Theatres
AMC Theatres provides the mall's principal cinema and entertainment offering, complementing the retail and dining tenant mix and helping position Newport Centre as a leisure destination.
Brand decisions
2024
Replacement of Sears with Primark and Dick's House of SportStrategyBackground
Sears announced the closure of its Newport Centre store, creating a large vacant anchor space.
Action taken
The mall designated the former Sears area for Primark and Dick's House of Sport.
Aftermath
Primark opened in August 2025 and Dick's House of Sport opened the following month, refreshing the center's anchor mix with value fashion and sporting-goods concepts.
2020
Temporary COVID-19 closureOtherBackground
The COVID-19 emergency led Jersey City and New Jersey authorities to require the temporary closure of shopping malls.
Action taken
Newport Centre closed on March 16, 2020, and reopened on June 29 after state restrictions were relaxed.
Aftermath
The closure interrupted mall operations for more than three months; no financial impact is specified in the cited material.
Sources2 sources
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