Southaven Towne Center

Southaven Towne Center is an open-air regional lifestyle center in Southaven, Mississippi, developed and managed by CBL & Associates Properties. The center opened in October 2005 and represented CBL’s first development in the lifestyle-center format. Rather than operating as a fully enclosed traditional mall, the property was planned as an outdoor retail destination combining department stores, specialty retail, restaurants, and other consumer services in a walkable environment. The center was an important retail addition to Southaven, a city in DeSoto County near the Memphis metropolitan area. At its opening, the project was expected to generate approximately 1,000 jobs for the local economy. It also introduced department-store retail to Southaven for the first time, with JCPenney and Dillard’s serving as the principal anchor tenants. The presence of these department stores gave the property a regional draw beyond everyday neighborhood shopping. The tenant mix has changed over time. Stores identified in connection with the center have included Sportsman’s Warehouse, Bed Bath & Beyond, Books-A-Million, Linens ’n Things, Circuit City, hhgregg, and Gordmans. Several of these businesses later closed, rebranded, or ceased operations nationally, illustrating the broader changes affecting American department-store, electronics, home-furnishings, and specialty retail. Circuit City was subsequently associated with the hhgregg location, while hhgregg closed in 2017 and Gordmans closed in 2020. Southaven Towne Center’s significance lies primarily in its local and regional retail role rather than in a standalone consumer brand identity. It functions as a multi-tenant destination whose offering depends on the combination of anchor stores, smaller retailers, dining, and services. Its development helped expand Southaven’s commercial base and reduced the need for residents to travel elsewhere for department-store shopping. Publicly available reference material provides limited information about later renovations, ownership changes, financial performance, or current tenant occupancy, so those aspects are not stated here.

Southaven Towne Center was developed by CBL & Associates Properties as an open-air regional lifestyle center in Southaven, Mississippi. The property opened in October 2005 and was CBL’s first reported venture into the lifestyle-center format. Its design and operating concept differed from that of a conventional enclosed mall: stores were arranged in an outdoor, pedestrian-oriented setting intended to combine major department stores with specialty retail and services. The project emerged as a significant commercial development for Southaven and the surrounding DeSoto County area. At the time of its opening, the center was expected to contribute approximately 1,000 jobs to the local economy. It also filled a local retail gap by bringing department stores to Southaven for the first time. JCPenney and Dillard’s served as the principal anchors, giving the property a regional attraction and helping establish it as more than a neighborhood shopping strip. The center’s broader tenant roster included Sportsman’s Warehouse, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Books-A-Million. Earlier or former tenants included Linens ’n Things and Circuit City. The Circuit City space was later associated with hhgregg. These tenant changes reflected shifts in the wider American retail market, including the contraction of consumer-electronics chains, the decline of specialty home-goods retailers, and the financial pressure faced by department and off-price retailers. The hhgregg operation was listed as closed in 2017, and the Gordmans location was listed as closed in 2020. Southaven Towne Center’s history is therefore tied both to the growth of Southaven as a commercial center and to the evolution of the lifestyle-center model. Its initial development expanded the city’s access to department-store and specialty retail, while later tenant turnover demonstrated the changing economics of physical retail. Public reference material does not establish a detailed chronology of renovations, subsequent ownership transactions, management changes, or current occupancy. The center is best understood as a multi-tenant retail property rather than a conventional product brand.

• 2020

  Gordmans store closes

  [1]Southaven Towne Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Gordmans location was listed as closed in 2020.

• 2017

  hhgregg store closes

  [1]Southaven Towne Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The hhgregg location listed among the center's former stores closed in 2017.

• 2005

  Opening of Southaven Towne Center

  [1]Southaven Towne Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The open-air regional lifestyle center opened in October 2005 under development and management by CBL & Associates Properties.

• 2005

  First CBL lifestyle-center project

  [1]Southaven Towne Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The property marked CBL & Associates Properties' first reported development in the lifestyle-center property format.

• 2005

  Department stores arrive in Southaven

  [1]Southaven Towne Centeren.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney and Dillard's anchored the center, bringing department-store retail to Southaven for the first time.

An open-air regional lifestyle center serving Southaven and the wider Memphis-area retail market.

• Department store · 2005

  JCPenney

  An anchor department store providing a broad assortment of apparel, accessories, beauty products, home merchandise, and related consumer goods. Its presence gives the center a major destination retailer and supports the property's regional shopping role.

• Department store · 2005

  Dillard's

  A department-store anchor offering fashion, accessories, beauty products, home furnishings, and other general merchandise. The store was part of the center's original anchor strategy and helped introduce department-store shopping to Southaven.

• Sporting-goods retail

  Sportsman's Warehouse

  A sporting-goods and outdoor retailer associated with the center's specialty-store mix. Its assortment is oriented toward outdoor recreation and related sporting activities.

• Home-goods retail

  Bed Bath & Beyond

  A home-goods retail format associated with bedding, bath products, housewares, and household accessories. The center's reference material identifies it as a tenant and also notes that it replaced or followed Linens 'n Things in the relevant space.

• Books and media retail

  Books-A-Million

  A bookstore and media retailer contributing books, periodicals, and related merchandise to the center's specialty retail offering.

• 2005

  Entry into the lifestyle-center formatStrategy

  Background

  CBL & Associates Properties developed Southaven Towne Center as its first reported lifestyle-center project, expanding beyond its more traditional shopping-center formats.

  Action taken

  The company opened an open-air center combining department-store anchors with specialty retail and services.

  Aftermath

  The project established a new property format for CBL and became a major retail destination in Southaven. Later public material provides limited detail on the property's subsequent strategic development.

  Source

1. 1Southaven Towne Centeren.wikipedia.org