Shops at South Town

The Shops at South Town is a regional shopping mall in Sandy, Utah, United States. The property sits east of Interstate 15 on State Street and forms part of Sandy’s broader Cairns city-center development. Built in 1986, the mall contains approximately 1.3 million square feet of retail space and has historically accommodated about 150 stores and restaurants. Its tenant mix has included national apparel, specialty, department-store, dining, entertainment, fitness, and sporting-goods operators. The mall originally opened as South Towne Center with ZCMI as its first anchor. ZCMI was subsequently succeeded by Meier & Frank and then Macy’s. JCPenney joined the property in 1992, while Mervyn’s was added in 1994 and later became a Forever 21 location. Dillard’s opened in 1997 and was described at the time as the largest retail store in Utah. A proposed Montgomery Ward store was never completed, leaving a sixth anchor site unused. Entertainment has been an important part of the property’s evolution. A ten-screen Cineplex Odeon opened in 1990 with 2,350 seats, making it the largest cinema in Utah at the time. The cinema closed in February 2001 during the Loews Cineplex Entertainment bankruptcy. After the building was gutted in 2002, the space was adapted for REI and Momentum Indoor Climbing. Later redevelopment added or supported a wider range of experiential uses, including Round1 Entertainment, automotive exhibits, immersive art, and other leisure-oriented offerings. The mall underwent a major interior and exterior renovation in phases from 2015 onward. The first phase was formally unveiled on February 14, 2017. Planned work included improved circulation, a longer concourse, remodeled atriums, skylights, additional seating, digital kiosks, exterior glazing, and a children’s play area. The redevelopment was tied to The Cairns, Sandy’s large-scale city-center project. Round1 Entertainment was announced in 2017 as part of the continuing renovation and later opened at the property. HomeGoods and other tenants were also incorporated into the renewed space. Ownership and management arrangements changed during the 2010s. Macerich announced in early 2013 that the mall was being offered for sale, and the property was subsequently purchased and managed by Pacific Retail by February 2017. Tenant changes continued as department stores and fashion retailers faced broader structural pressure. Forever 21’s South Town store closed in January 2020 after the retailer’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy and related closure program. Macy’s announced in January 2021 that its store would close as part of a nationwide reduction, and the location shut in mid-2021. JCPenney then became the remaining conventional department-store anchor identified in the reference material. By 2023, vacant or repurposed anchor areas were being used for nontraditional attractions. The former Macy’s space hosted Dreamscapes, an immersive art exhibit, on its upper level, while Automotive Addiction operated a large vintage and exotic car museum on the lower level. The former Forever 21 area was temporarily associated with a hot-tub outlet before later plans relocated Automotive Addiction there. In May 2024, Smith Entertainment Group was reported to be under contract to purchase the mall and announced plans to develop a Utah Mammoth training facility and team offices on the site while keeping the shopping center open. Subsequent plans called for the former Macy’s building to be remodeled and expanded for the Mammoth facility, requiring Dreamscapes to move elsewhere and Automotive Addiction to relocate within the mall. The Mammoth practice facility was reported as completed in September 2025. In October 2025, Smith Entertainment Group announced plans for a Utah Jazz practice facility at the property. A May 2026 partnership announcement between Smith Entertainment Group and Intermountain Health described a sports-medicine center alongside the Mammoth and Jazz facilities, with services intended for the teams and the public. These sports developments represent a shift toward a mixed retail, entertainment, civic, and professional-sports destination.

The Shops at South Town opened in Sandy, Utah, in 1986 under the name South Towne Center. Its original department-store anchor was ZCMI, which later became Meier & Frank and ultimately Macy’s. The mall’s early development established it as a regional retail center serving communities in the southern Salt Lake Valley. JCPenney opened at the property in 1992. Mervyn’s followed in 1994 and was later replaced by Forever 21. A Montgomery Ward store was proposed for a sixth anchor location in 1995, but the project did not proceed; the anchor plot remained unused. Dillard’s opened in 1997 and was identified at the time as Utah’s largest retail store. The property expanded its entertainment role in 1990 with a ten-screen Cineplex Odeon cinema containing 2,350 seats. It was then the largest cinema in Utah. The theater closed in February 2001 in connection with Loews Cineplex Entertainment’s bankruptcy. The former cinema structure was gutted in 2002 and adapted for REI and Momentum Indoor Climbing, preserving the space as a destination for sports and outdoor recreation rather than traditional department-store retail. The mall’s later history reflects the changing economics of enclosed retail. Macerich announced in early 2013 that it had placed the mall on the market. By February 2017, the property had been purchased and was being managed by Pacific Retail. At the same time, the mall was being repositioned within The Cairns, Sandy’s approximately 1,100-acre city-center development. A phased renovation began during the mid-2010s, with the first phase formally unveiled on February 14, 2017. The work addressed both the interior and exterior and was intended to modernize the property and make it more compatible with a broader mixed-use district. The renovation program included a new or extended concourse, updated atriums, skylights, exterior glazing, additional lounge seating, digital kiosks, and a children’s play area. Plans also called for renewed space associated with the former Dillard’s area and the addition of Round1 Entertainment and HomeGoods. Round1 was announced in May 2017 and later opened as an entertainment tenant, reinforcing the mall’s shift toward experiences in addition to merchandise. Anchor turnover continued. In October 2019, the mall’s Forever 21 store was threatened with closure after the retailer entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy; the store closed in January 2020. Macy’s announced on January 6, 2021, that its South Town location would close as part of a nationwide program involving 46 stores. The closure, completed in mid-2021, left JCPenney as the only traditional department-store anchor identified in the reference material. Vacated anchor areas were subsequently used for alternative attractions. By 2023, the former Macy’s space contained Dreamscapes, an immersive art exhibit, on the upper floor, while the lower floor operated as Automotive Addiction, a museum focused on vintage and exotic cars. The former Forever 21 area was associated with a hot-tub outlet and later became the planned relocation space for Automotive Addiction. In May 2024, Smith Entertainment Group was reported to be under contract to purchase the mall. The group proposed constructing a Utah Mammoth training facility and team offices within the property while keeping the mall open to the public. Later plans called for the former Macy’s building to be remodeled and expanded for the Mammoth facility. This required Dreamscapes to relocate outside the mall and Automotive Addiction to move to the former Forever 21 space. The Mammoth practice facility was reported completed in September 2025. In October 2025, Smith Entertainment Group announced plans for an additional Utah Jazz practice facility on the site. A May 2026 announcement described an Intermountain Health partnership for a sports-medicine center alongside the two team facilities, broadening the site’s function into sports training, healthcare, entertainment, and retail.

• 2026

  Sports-medicine partnership announced

  [1]The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org

  Smith Entertainment Group and Intermountain Health announce plans involving a public-facing sports-medicine center alongside the team facilities.

• 2025

  Utah Mammoth practice facility completed

  [1]The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org

  The Utah Mammoth practice facility is reported completed in September.

• 2025

  Utah Jazz practice facility announced

  [1]The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org

  Smith Entertainment Group announces plans for a Utah Jazz practice facility at the site.

• 2024

  Sports-facility redevelopment proposed

  [1]The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org

  Smith Entertainment Group is reported under contract to purchase the property and proposes Utah Mammoth training facilities and offices.

• 2021

  Macy’s location closes

  [1]The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org

  Macy’s closes its South Town store in mid-2021.

• 2020

  Forever 21 location closes

  [1]The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org

  The Forever 21 store closes after the retailer’s bankruptcy-related restructuring.

• 2017

  First renovation phase unveiled

  [1]The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org

  The first phase of the interior and exterior redevelopment is officially unveiled on February 14.

• 2017

  Round1 Entertainment announced

  [1]The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org

  Round1 Entertainment is announced as part of the mall’s continuing redevelopment.

• 2013

  Property placed on the market

  [1]The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org

  Macerich announces that the mall is for sale.

• 2002

  Former cinema is repurposed

  [1]The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org

  The former cinema building is gutted and converted for REI and Momentum Indoor Climbing.

• 2001

  Cineplex Odeon closes

  [1]The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org

  The cinema closes in February during the Loews Cineplex Entertainment bankruptcy.

• 1997

  Dillard’s opens

  [1]The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org

  Dillard’s opens and is described at the time as Utah’s largest retail store.

• 1994

  Mervyn’s is added

  [1]The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org

  Mervyn’s is added as another anchor; the space later becomes associated with Forever 21.

• 1992

  JCPenney opens

  [1]The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney becomes an anchor tenant at the mall.

• 1990

  Cineplex Odeon opens

  [1]The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org

  A ten-screen, 2,350-seat Cineplex Odeon opens and is described as Utah’s largest cinema at the time.

• 1986

  Mall opens as South Towne Center

  [1]The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org

  The regional shopping center opens in Sandy with ZCMI as its initial anchor.

A regional, mid-scale shopping and entertainment destination serving Sandy and the greater Salt Lake Valley, increasingly combining conventional retail with experiential attractions and professional-sports infrastructure.

• Retail property · 1986

  Regional shopping center

  The mall’s core offering is a large enclosed retail environment serving Sandy and the surrounding Salt Lake Valley. The property provides space for department stores, specialty retailers, restaurants, services, and entertainment operators, with approximately 1.3 million square feet and about 150 stores and restaurants identified in the reference material.

• Entertainment · 2018

  Round1 Entertainment

  Round1 Entertainment represents the mall’s experiential-retail component. Its announcement formed part of the second phase of redevelopment and was intended to extend the tenant mix beyond conventional shopping through indoor leisure and entertainment uses.

• Sports and recreation

  Utah Mammoth Ice Center

  The Utah Mammoth Ice Center is identified as one of the property’s current anchor spaces. It contributes an ice-sports and recreation use to the mall’s increasingly mixed retail, entertainment, and sports-oriented footprint.

• Automotive museum

  Automotive Addiction

  Automotive Addiction operated in the former Macy’s lower level as a large vintage and exotic car museum. Redevelopment plans associated with the Utah Mammoth facilities called for the attraction to relocate to the former Forever 21 space at the mall’s north end.

• Professional sports facility · 2025

  Utah Mammoth training facility

  A Utah Mammoth training facility and team offices were developed within the mall site under Smith Entertainment Group’s redevelopment plans. The facility was reported completed in September 2025, while the broader shopping center remained open to the public.

• Professional sports facility

  Utah Jazz practice facility

  Smith Entertainment Group announced plans in October 2025 to construct a Utah Jazz practice facility within the Shops at South Town site, extending the property’s role as a sports and mixed-use destination.

• 2026

  Sports-medicine center partnershipStrategy

  Background

  The planned team facilities created an opportunity to add healthcare and sports-performance services for professional athletes and the general public.

  Action taken

  Smith Entertainment Group and Intermountain Health announced a partnership involving a sports-medicine center alongside the Utah Mammoth and Utah Jazz practice facilities.

  Aftermath

  The proposed center would provide care for both teams while also serving members of the public.

  Source

• 2025

  Expansion into professional-sports infrastructureStrategy

  Background

  After the Utah Mammoth practice facility was reported completed, Smith Entertainment Group continued developing the site as a sports-oriented mixed-use destination.

  Action taken

  The group announced plans for a Utah Jazz practice facility within the mall site.

  Aftermath

  The announcement broadened the planned sports presence at the property beyond the Mammoth facility.

  Source

• 2024

  Proposed Smith Entertainment Group acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Smith Entertainment Group sought to expand its sports infrastructure while retaining the mall as a public retail destination.

  Action taken

  The group was reported to be under contract to purchase the mall and proposed Utah Mammoth training facilities and offices within the site.

  Aftermath

  The plan led to the remodeling and expansion of the former Macy’s building, the relocation of Dreamscapes, and the planned relocation of Automotive Addiction within the mall.

  Source

• 2021

  Macy’s anchor closureOther

  Background

  Macy’s included the South Town store in a nationwide plan to close 46 locations.

  Action taken

  The department-store location was closed in mid-2021.

  Aftermath

  The former department-store space was later used for Dreamscapes and Automotive Addiction before being selected for the Utah Mammoth training-facility redevelopment.

  Source

• 2017

  Round1 Entertainment additionProduct launch

  Background

  The redevelopment program sought to add experiential uses and extend the mall’s appeal beyond conventional retail.

  Action taken

  Round1 Entertainment was announced for the mall as part of the ongoing renovation and was subsequently opened.

  Aftermath

  The venue became part of the property’s entertainment-oriented tenant mix.

  Source

• 2015

  Phased mall renovationStrategy

  Background

  The property was being repositioned within Sandy’s Cairns city-center development and needed updated circulation, public areas, façades, and tenant spaces.

  Action taken

  Management initiated a multi-phase interior and exterior renovation, including atrium improvements, skylights, seating, digital kiosks, exterior glazing, a children’s play area, and expanded space for new entertainment and retail tenants.

  Aftermath

  The first phase was unveiled in February 2017, and later work supported the arrival of Round1 Entertainment and HomeGoods.

  Source

1. 1The Shops at South Townen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official Shops at South Town websiteshopsatsouthtown.com