River Hills Mall
River Hills Mall is an enclosed shopping center in Mankato, Minnesota, serving the regional retail market with department stores, specialty retailers, dining, entertainment, and surrounding commercial businesses.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
River Hills Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Mankato, Minnesota, and a principal regional retail destination for the city and surrounding parts of southern Minnesota. The property was developed on former farmland after several years of surveying, land-use planning, and local debate over the effect a new regional mall could have on existing businesses and the competing Madison East Center. General Growth Properties was responsible for the development, while the land had been owned by Paul Radichel and his family. The Mankato City Council approved rezoning for the site in 1989, enabling construction to proceed. The mall opened in 1991 under the management of Paul Wilke. It began with fewer than 26 stores and three anchor tenants: Herberger's, Target, and JCPenney. The addition of Sears in 1993 expanded the center's department-store offering and made it a four-anchor property. Scheels later relocated from Madison East Center to a newly constructed space at River Hills Mall in 2006, becoming the fifth anchor and strengthening the mall's appeal as a destination for sporting goods and outdoor products. A health clinic opened in the mall in 2007, reflecting the property's use as more than a conventional retail-only environment. Barnes & Noble moved from another nearby location into the original Scheels space in 2008. The property has also been characterized by experiential and convenience-oriented features. A carousel in the food court provides a family-focused attraction, while nearby businesses include Olive Garden, Chick-fil-A, PetSmart, hotels, and other freestanding commercial uses. PetSmart opened in an exterior location on January 5, 2018, adding to the wider retail cluster around the mall. River Hills Mall entered a period of anchor-store contraction in the late 2010s. Sears closed in early 2017, and its former space remained vacant. Herberger's closed in 2018 after its parent company, The Bon-Ton Stores, was acquired by liquidators; that anchor space also remained vacant. These closures reflected broader structural pressures affecting traditional department stores and enclosed shopping centers, although the property continued operating with tenants including Target, Scheels, Barnes & Noble, and JCPenney. In 2021, River Hills Mall was sold to Kohan Retail Investment Group. The transaction placed the center under the ownership of a private retail-property operator that owns and manages shopping centers in multiple American markets. The mall's current identity is therefore that of an active regional enclosed shopping center anchored by a mix of national retailers, specialty commerce, food service, and nearby commercial properties. Its long-term challenge is balancing the loss of major traditional anchors with tenant repositioning, visitor-oriented amenities, and the continuing importance of Target, Scheels, Barnes & Noble, JCPenney, and other occupants to the Mankato retail ecosystem.
History
River Hills Mall was developed on farmland in Mankato, Minnesota, during a period of regional retail expansion. Surveying and planning began in 1987 under General Growth Properties. The development required a zoning change, which the Mankato City Council approved in 1989 after debate involving existing local business interests and the competing Madison East Center. The land was owned by Paul Radichel and his family. The enclosed mall opened in 1991 under manager Paul Wilke. Its initial tenant base numbered fewer than 26 stores, with Herberger's, Target, and JCPenney serving as the original anchor tenants. Sears joined the property in 1993, creating a four-anchor configuration. In 1994, sporting-goods retailer Scheels moved from Madison East Center, and in 2006 the company opened a newly built space at River Hills Mall that became the center's fifth anchor. The development of a larger Scheels presence helped broaden the mall's appeal beyond department-store shopping. River Hills Mall added service and destination elements during the 2000s. A health clinic opened in 2007, and Barnes & Noble relocated from a nearby site into the former original Scheels space in 2008. The food court's carousel became one of the property's family-oriented features. Restaurants, hotels, and freestanding retailers developed around the mall, including Olive Garden, Chick-fil-A, PetSmart, and other businesses, creating a wider commercial district rather than an isolated enclosed center. The mall later experienced the anchor-store difficulties common to many American shopping centers. Sears closed in early 2017, and the former store remained vacant. PetSmart opened outside the mall on January 5, 2018. Herberger's closed in 2018 after The Bon-Ton Stores, its parent company, was acquired by liquidators, leaving another former anchor space unoccupied. Despite these losses, River Hills Mall continued operating with prominent tenants such as Target, Scheels, Barnes & Noble, and JCPenney. In 2021, Kohan Retail Investment Group purchased the mall for a reported $29.4 million. The sale marked a change in ownership and placed the property within Kohan's portfolio of privately held retail centers. Subsequent changes in the surrounding commercial area included construction of a Chick-fil-A on the former Party City lot, reported for 2026, and the closure of an A&W location in April 2026. River Hills Mall remains an active enclosed shopping center serving Mankato and the broader southern Minnesota market, although its history includes both regional expansion and the later reduction of traditional department-store anchors.
- 2021
Kohan Retail Investment Group acquires the mall
[1]The property was sold to Kohan Retail Investment Group for a reported $29.4 million.
- 2018
PetSmart opens outside the mall
[1]PetSmart opened an exterior location near River Hills Mall on January 5.
- 2018
Herberger's closes
[1]Herberger's closed after The Bon-Ton Stores was acquired by liquidators.
- 2017
Sears closes
[1]Sears closed its River Hills Mall store, leaving a vacant former anchor location.
- 2008
Barnes & Noble relocates to the mall
[1]Barnes & Noble moved from a nearby location into the former original Scheels space.
- 2007
Health clinic opens
[1]A health clinic opened within the mall, adding a service use to the retail property.
- 2006
Scheels opens a new mall location
[1]Scheels moved from Madison East Center into a newly constructed River Hills Mall space, becoming the fifth anchor.
- 1993
Sears becomes a fourth anchor
[1]Sears joined the mall's anchor lineup.
- 1991
River Hills Mall opens
[1]The enclosed mall opened with fewer than 26 stores and three anchors: Herberger's, Target, and JCPenney.
- 1989
Site rezoned for mall development
[1]The Mankato City Council approved rezoning for the site after debate involving existing businesses and Madison East Center.
Products and positioning
A regional enclosed shopping center serving Mankato and southern Minnesota, combining department stores, specialty retail, family-oriented amenities, dining, and adjacent commercial services.
Department and general merchandise · 1991
Target
Target is one of River Hills Mall's original anchor tenants and provides general merchandise, apparel, household goods, electronics, groceries, and other everyday retail categories. Its broad assortment gives the property a recurring convenience-shopping component in addition to destination visits.
Department store · 1991
JCPenney
JCPenney has been an anchor tenant since the mall opened in 1991. Its department-store assortment traditionally includes clothing, accessories, beauty products, home merchandise, and seasonal goods, contributing to River Hills Mall's regional shopping-center format.
Sporting goods and outdoor retail · 2006
Scheels
Scheels relocated from Madison East Center and opened a newly constructed River Hills Mall space in 2006. The anchor specializes in sporting goods, outdoor equipment, apparel, footwear, and recreation-related merchandise, and adds a destination-oriented element to the mall's tenant mix.
Books and media · 2008
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble moved from a nearby location into the former original Scheels space in 2008. The bookstore brought books, gifts, educational materials, and related merchandise to the center while helping reuse a large former anchor footprint.
Department store · 1991
Herberger's
Herberger's was one of River Hills Mall's three original anchors. It operated as a department store until closing in 2018 following the liquidation of its parent company, The Bon-Ton Stores. The former anchor space was subsequently reported as vacant.
Department store · 1993
Sears
Sears became River Hills Mall's fourth anchor in 1993. Its store closed in early 2017, after which the former anchor space remained vacant according to the available reference material.
Brand decisions
2021
Sale to Kohan Retail Investment GroupM&ABackground
River Hills Mall changed ownership after a period in which two traditional department-store anchors, Sears and Herberger's, had closed and their spaces remained vacant.
Action taken
Kohan Retail Investment Group acquired the property in 2021.
Aftermath
The mall became part of Kohan's privately held portfolio of retail properties and continued operating as an active regional shopping center.
Reported acquisition price. $29.4 million (2021)
Recent events
- 2026
Chick-fil-A planned for former Party City site[1]
Product launch
A Chick-fil-A location was constructed on the former Party City lot outside the mall.
- 2026
A&W location at River Hills Mall closes[1]
Other
An A&W location in the mall with exterior-facing signage closed in April 2026.
- 2021
River Hills Mall sold to Kohan Retail Investment Group[1]
M&A
Kohan Retail Investment Group acquired River Hills Mall in 2021 for a reported $29.4 million, making it the property's owner.
- 2018
PetSmart opens outside River Hills Mall[1]
Product launch
PetSmart opened an exterior location near the mall on January 5, 2018, expanding the property's surrounding retail cluster.
- 2018
Herberger's closes following Bon-Ton liquidation[1]
Bankruptcy
Herberger's closed after its parent company, The Bon-Ton Stores, was acquired by liquidators. The former anchor space subsequently remained vacant.
- 2017
Sears closes at River Hills Mall[1]
Other
Sears shut its River Hills Mall location in early 2017, leaving one of the center's former anchor spaces vacant.
Sources1 sources
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