The Centre at Forestville

The Centre at Forestville is an enclosed shopping mall in Forestville, Maryland, United States. The property opened in 1979 under the name Forest Village Park Mall and was developed by Melvin Simon & Associates, the company associated with the early expansion of Simon Property Group. Its original anchor lineup included JCPenney and Kmart, reflecting the conventional suburban shopping-center model of the period, in which department stores and discount retailers supplied the principal customer traffic. The mall changed ownership in 2003, when Petrie Ross Ventures acquired it from Simon Property Group for $20.3 million. Following the acquisition, the vacant Kmart space was demolished and replaced with a Target store. The new anchor helped reposition the property around a contemporary mix of department-store, discount, and general-merchandise shopping. Petrie Ross Ventures also renovated the interior and changed the property's name to The Centre at Forestville, creating the identity it uses today. The mall's tenant and anchor history reflects the broader restructuring of American enclosed retail. Kmart's departure removed one of the original anchors, while Target's arrival provided a replacement focused on everyday merchandise rather than a traditional department-store format. JCPenney remained an important anchor for many years. In 2020, JCPenney identified its Forestville store among surplus locations that it planned to sell as part of its wider restructuring. The Forestville location was still reported as operating in March 2022, indicating that the mall continued to function despite changes affecting one of its principal tenants. The Centre at Forestville primarily serves the Forestville area and nearby communities in Prince George's County and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region. Its brand is therefore location-based rather than a national retail chain: the property is marketed through its name and anchor tenants, while the merchandise and services available to shoppers are supplied by individual stores. Publicly available reference material does not establish a current owner, a dedicated corporate website, a current complete tenant directory, or a separate management company. The mall's current status is best described as active based on the latest cited information, although its tenant mix and anchor occupancy may have changed after March 2022.

The Centre at Forestville began operations in 1979 as Forest Village Park Mall, an enclosed shopping mall in Forestville, Maryland. Melvin Simon & Associates developed the property, which opened with JCPenney and Kmart as its principal anchor stores. This initial configuration placed the mall within the dominant suburban retail pattern of the late 1970s: enclosed pedestrian circulation, large anchor stores, and a broad selection of smaller specialty tenants intended to attract shoppers from surrounding residential communities. The mall's original retail structure changed after Kmart closed its store in 2002. The closure left a major vacant anchor space and created a redevelopment opportunity for the property. In 2003, Petrie Ross Ventures purchased the mall from Simon Property Group for $20.3 million. After the acquisition, Petrie Ross demolished the former Kmart building rather than retaining the obsolete structure. The company constructed a new Target store on the site, remodeled the interior of the mall, and renamed the property The Centre at Forestville. The redevelopment represented a shift in the property's commercial strategy. Target supplied a strong general-merchandise anchor with a different operating model from Kmart, while the interior renovation sought to update the mall's appearance and shopper experience. The renaming also separated the property from its former Forest Village Park identity and established a new place brand associated with its post-2003 configuration. JCPenney remained one of the mall's major anchors after the redevelopment. However, the retailer experienced significant financial and operational pressure in the late 2010s and early 2020s. On July 31, 2020, JCPenney announced plans involving the sale of surplus stores, and the Forestville store was listed among 21 locations affected by that announcement. Available reference material subsequently indicated that the store was still open in March 2022. This suggests that the announcement did not immediately result in the location's closure, although it did create uncertainty around one of the mall's most important anchor tenants. The Centre at Forestville is a property-level shopping-center brand rather than a national chain. Its commercial identity depends on the location, physical mall facilities, anchor tenants, specialty retailers, and services operating on the premises. Public references identify Target and JCPenney as anchors but do not provide a complete current tenant roster. They also do not establish the mall's current owner, current management operator, dedicated website, or financial performance after the 2003 transaction. Accordingly, the documented history is strongest for the mall's opening, ownership transfer, redevelopment, rebranding, and JCPenney's 2020 restructuring announcement. The property was described as still operating in March 2022.

• 2022

  JCPenney location reported open

  [1]The Centre at Forestvilleen.wikipedia.org

  The Forestville JCPenney store is reported as still operating in March 2022.

• 2020

  JCPenney lists the Forestville store among surplus locations

  [1]The Centre at Forestvilleen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney announces a surplus-store program that includes its Forestville location among 21 affected stores.

• 2003

  Petrie Ross Ventures acquires and redevelops the mall

  [1]The Centre at Forestvilleen.wikipedia.org

  Petrie Ross Ventures acquires the property from Simon Property Group, demolishes the vacant Kmart store, builds a Target store, renovates the interior, and renames the mall The Centre at Forestville.

• 2002

  Kmart anchor closes

  [1]The Centre at Forestvilleen.wikipedia.org

  Kmart closes its store at the mall, leaving one of the original anchor spaces vacant.

• 1979

  Forest Village Park Mall opens

  [1]The Centre at Forestvilleen.wikipedia.org

  The enclosed mall opens in Forestville, Maryland, developed by Melvin Simon & Associates and anchored by JCPenney and Kmart.

A suburban enclosed shopping center serving local and metropolitan-area consumers through department-store, discount, general-merchandise, and service tenants.

• Department store anchor · 1979

  JCPenney

  JCPenney is one of The Centre at Forestville's identified anchor tenants. Its department-store format traditionally covers apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty, home goods, and related consumer categories. The store has been part of the mall's anchor structure since the property's opening as Forest Village Park Mall in 1979. In 2020, JCPenney included the Forestville location in an announcement concerning surplus stores, although reference material reported the location as still open in March 2022.

• General-merchandise anchor · 2003

  Target

  Target replaced the former Kmart anchor after the Kmart store closed. Petrie Ross Ventures demolished the vacant Kmart building and constructed a new Target store as part of the post-2003 redevelopment. The Target format supplies general merchandise and everyday shopping categories and helped give the renovated mall a contemporary discount and convenience-oriented anchor alongside JCPenney.

• 2003

  Redevelopment and rebranding after ownership changeStrategy

  Background

  After Petrie Ross Ventures acquired the mall from Simon Property Group, the property had a vacant Kmart anchor and required a new commercial configuration.

  Action taken

  The new owner demolished the former Kmart store, built a Target store, renovated the mall interior, and changed the name from Forest Village Park Mall to The Centre at Forestville.

  Aftermath

  The redevelopment replaced one of the original anchors and established the property's current name and documented post-2003 retail positioning.

  Acquisition price. $20.3 million (2003 acquisition)

  Source

1. 1The Centre at Forestvilleen.wikipedia.org