The Shops at Northfield

The Shops at Northfield is a large open-air retail town center in Denver, Colorado, United States. The center forms part of the redevelopment of the former Stapleton International Airport and is designed as a pedestrian-oriented shopping and entertainment district rather than a fully enclosed traditional mall. Its approximately 1.2 million square feet of retail space combines major department and destination retailers with specialty stores, restaurants, entertainment venues, and public-facing streets and gathering areas. The center opened in phases beginning in 2005. Its initial tenant mix included major anchors such as Super Target, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, and JCPenney, while Borders and Circuit City also operated at the property during its early years. The entertainment offering expanded with the opening of an 18-screen cinema in 2006. Over time, the property experienced the same retail-sector changes affecting many American shopping centers: Borders closed in 2011, Circuit City exited after its bankruptcy, and several former large-format spaces were reused or reconfigured. H&M joined the center as a junior anchor in 2018. The Shops at Northfield has historically served a broad regional audience, with everyday shopping supplied by Target, outdoor recreation merchandise offered by Bass Pro Shops, and a mix of apparel, dining, entertainment, and specialty retail. Its open-air format and connection to the larger Stapleton redevelopment distinguish it from a conventional enclosed mall. The property has also been recognized for environmental design and sustainability efforts. Northfield Stapleton was identified as a Bronze Achiever in Colorado's Environmental Leadership Program and was registered as a LEED Core and Shell Pilot Project; it was subsequently described as the first main-street retail center in the United States to receive LEED-CS Silver certification. The tenant base changed materially in 2025. Macy's announced in January that its Northfield store would close as part of a nationwide plan affecting 66 locations, and the store ceased operations on March 23, 2025. JCPenney was reported in February as part of a national closure list and closed its Northfield location in May 2025. These departures reduced the center's traditional department-store presence, while destination anchors and the broader specialty-retail, restaurant, and entertainment mix remained central to its identity. The property is owned and operated by QIC, an Australian investment manager with interests in infrastructure and real estate.

The Shops at Northfield emerged from the redevelopment of Denver's former Stapleton International Airport. Conceived as an open-air retail town center, the property was intended to provide a major shopping, dining, and entertainment component within the broader mixed-use transformation of the airport site. Rather than relying on a single enclosed mall structure, the center uses a main-street-style layout with outdoor circulation and a combination of large anchors, junior anchors, specialty shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. The first major stores opened in 2005. Super Target and Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World became the principal continuing anchors, while JCPenney, Borders, and Circuit City were among the other early large-format tenants. The center's scale ultimately reached approximately 1.2 million square feet, making it one of the more substantial retail properties in the Denver area. An 18-screen cinema opened in 2006, reinforcing the site's role as an entertainment destination as well as a shopping facility. Macy's also opened at the property in 2006, adding a conventional department-store component to the open-air center. The original tenant mix changed as national retailers faced financial and structural pressure. Borders closed its Northfield location in 2011; the space was subsequently associated with Macy's Home. Circuit City's departure followed the electronics retailer's broader collapse, and its former space was replaced by GameWorks. These changes illustrate the center's adaptive approach to large vacant spaces and the volatility of the U.S. specialty-retail and department-store sectors. H&M later became a junior anchor, opening in 2018 and broadening the center's apparel offering. Sustainability was another part of the property's development story. Northfield Stapleton was recognized as a Bronze Achiever in the Environmental Leadership Program of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. It was also registered as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Core and Shell Pilot Project with the United States Green Building Council. The center was later described as the first main-street retail center in the United States to receive LEED-CS Silver certification, giving the property an environmental-design distinction in addition to its commercial role. The center entered another transition in 2025. On January 9, Macy's announced that the Northfield store would close within a nationwide program affecting 66 stores. The location closed on March 23, 2025. On February 11, JCPenney was reported as being on a national closure list, and its Northfield store closed in May 2025. The closures removed two department-store tenants that had been part of the property's earlier anchor strategy. Despite these changes, the property continued to be defined by its open-air format, major destination retailers, cinema, restaurants, and specialty shops. QIC owns and operates The Shops at Northfield.

• 2025

  Macy's store closed

  [1]The Shops at Northfielden.wikipedia.org

  The Macy's location closed on March 23 as part of the retailer's nationwide store-reduction program.

• 2025

  JCPenney store closed

  [1]The Shops at Northfielden.wikipedia.org

  The JCPenney location closed in May after being included in a national closure list.

• 2018

  H&M opened

  [1]The Shops at Northfielden.wikipedia.org

  H&M opened as a junior anchor, adding a major international apparel retailer to the tenant mix.

• 2011

  Borders closed

  [1]The Shops at Northfielden.wikipedia.org

  Borders shut its Northfield store. The former space was subsequently associated with Macy's Home.

• 2009

  Circuit City closed

  [1]The Shops at Northfielden.wikipedia.org

  Circuit City ceased operations at the center during the retailer's wider business failure; the space was later associated with GameWorks.

• 2006

  Cinema and Macy's added

  [1]The Shops at Northfielden.wikipedia.org

  The center added an 18-screen cinema and a Macy's department store, expanding its entertainment and traditional department-store offerings.

• 2005

  Initial retail openings

  [1]The Shops at Northfielden.wikipedia.org

  Super Target, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, JCPenney, Borders, and Circuit City were among the initial major tenants to open as the Northfield retail center began operations.

A large regional open-air shopping and entertainment center combining destination anchors, everyday retail, restaurants, specialty stores, and cinema offerings within the Stapleton redevelopment.

• General merchandise anchor · 2005

  Super Target

  A large-format Target store serving as one of the center's principal anchors. It provides general merchandise and everyday shopping categories, supporting routine visits in addition to destination-oriented retail.

• Outdoor recreation retail · 2005

  Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World

  A destination outdoor retailer and major anchor offering equipment, apparel, and related goods for hunting, fishing, camping, boating, and other outdoor activities. Its large-format presence contributes to the center's regional draw.

• Cinema and entertainment · 2006

  Northfield 18

  An 18-screen movie theater that expanded the center beyond shopping and helped establish it as an evening and weekend entertainment destination.

• Apparel retail · 2018

  H&M

  An international fashion retailer serving as a junior anchor. Its presence adds trend-focused apparel and accessories to the center's specialty-retail mix.

• Department store · 2006

  Macy's

  A former department-store anchor that opened in 2006 and offered apparel, home goods, accessories, and related department-store categories. The Northfield store closed on March 23, 2025.

• Department store · 2005

  JCPenney

  A former department-store anchor that opened during the center's initial 2005 tenant rollout. Its Northfield location closed in May 2025 following inclusion in a national closure program.

• 2025

  Macy's exit from the centerStrategy

  Background

  Macy's included its Northfield department store in a nationwide plan to close 66 locations.

  Action taken

  The Northfield store ceased operations on March 23, 2025.

  Aftermath

  The closure removed one of the center's long-standing department-store anchors and left a former anchor space requiring future tenant or redevelopment planning.

  Source

• 2025

  JCPenney exit from the centerStrategy

  Background

  JCPenney placed the Northfield store on a national closure list during a broader reduction of its store portfolio.

  Action taken

  The JCPenney location closed in May 2025.

  Aftermath

  The closure further reduced the property's traditional department-store anchor base and increased the importance of destination retail, specialty stores, restaurants, and entertainment.

  Source

1. 1The Shops at Northfielden.wikipedia.org