Triangle Town Center

Triangle Town Center is a regional shopping mall in Raleigh, North Carolina, located in the city's northern area near U.S. Highway 1, also known as Capital Boulevard, and Interstate 540. The property serves the broader Research Triangle region and combines department-store anchors, a large bookstore, specialty retail, dining, and local independent businesses. Its principal operating anchors are Belk, Belk Outlet, Barnes & Noble, and Dillard's, while several large former anchor spaces have become vacant following the departures of Sears, Macy's, and Saks Fifth Avenue. The mall opened on August 14, 2002, after a development process that included rerouting existing roads to accommodate the project. Its original anchor lineup consisted of Hudson Belk, Sears, Dillard's, and Hecht's. Hecht's later became Macy's in 2006, and Hudson Belk adopted the shorter Belk name in 2010. Saks Fifth Avenue joined the property in 2004 as the first Saks Fifth Avenue location in North Carolina. A two-level Barnes & Noble functions as a junior anchor and has been one of the center's more distinctive large-format tenants. Triangle Town Center has experienced the broader structural pressures affecting enclosed shopping malls, including department-store retrenchment, anchor closures, changing tenant demand, and the need to repurpose large retail spaces. Sears closed in 2021 as part of the retailer's continuing reduction of traditional stores. Kohan Retail Investment Group acquired the mall in November 2021. During that period, Cinnabon returned to the center, replacing the Starbucks location adjacent to the food court. Summit Properties USA subsequently acquired the approximately 70-acre property from Kohan in December 2024, with redevelopment and new development identified as part of the property's future direction. The center has also undergone disruption from public-safety incidents and infrastructure problems. A large disturbance involving teenagers in 2008 led to an evacuation, and a fatal shooting occurred in the parking lot in 2015. In 2018, a broken water main forced an evacuation and early closure, followed by repairs and renovation work affecting several stores. Some affected national retailers, including H&M, Kay Jewelers, and Zales Jewelers, did not return, and their former spaces were subsequently occupied by local businesses such as Lim's, Yumna Jewelers, and Malay Jewelers. By the mid-2020s, the mall's tenant mix reflected a combination of remaining national anchors and smaller local or specialty operators. Reported newer occupants included Fight or Flight Comics, Animazed, and Anime X. The planned or completed exits of Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue in 2026 further reduced the property's traditional department-store presence, leaving redevelopment, independent retail, and re-leasing of former anchor space as important elements of its business outlook.

Triangle Town Center was developed as a major enclosed shopping center for North Raleigh and opened on August 14, 2002. The project was built near U.S. Highway 1 and Interstate 540 and required the rerouting of existing roads before construction could be completed. Its opening anchor lineup included Hudson Belk, Sears, Dillard's, and Hecht's, giving the center a conventional regional-mall format centered on department stores and specialty retail. The mall expanded its prestige-retail offer in 2004 when Saks Fifth Avenue opened a location at the property. It was described as the first Saks Fifth Avenue store in North Carolina. Barnes & Noble operated a substantial two-level store that served as a junior anchor, complementing the department stores with books, media, gifts, and related merchandise. Hecht's was converted to Macy's in 2006, while Hudson Belk later operated under the shorter Belk name from 2010 onward. Like many enclosed malls, Triangle Town Center later faced tenant turnover and public-safety challenges. In July 2008, a fight on the upper level involving teenagers escalated into a larger disturbance, leading to an evacuation and a police response. In April 2015, a woman who was six months pregnant was shot in the parking lot and later died. These events became part of the property's publicly documented history, although they were not described as corporate misconduct or a brand scandal. A major physical disruption occurred in October 2018, when a water main broke and forced the mall to evacuate and close early. The center reopened roughly a week later, but several stores required longer renovation periods. H&M, Kay Jewelers, and Zales Jewelers were among the affected tenants and ultimately did not reopen at the mall. Their former areas later received local operators, including Lim's, Yumna Jewelers, and Malay Jewelers, illustrating the gradual shift from a predominantly national-chain tenant mix toward a combination of national and independent businesses. Sears was one of the property's first-generation anchors but closed in 2021 as Sears continued to reduce its traditional store network. Kohan Retail Investment Group acquired Triangle Town Center in November 2021. Around the same period, Cinnabon returned to the center, taking the space adjacent to the food court that had been associated with Starbucks. The acquisition placed the mall under an owner known for operating distressed or repositioning retail properties, while the returning food tenant added a familiar national brand to the center's dining offer. In December 2024, Summit Properties USA purchased the approximately 70-acre mall from Kohan. The transaction was associated with plans for new development, suggesting that the property's long-term direction could involve redevelopment or a broader repositioning rather than relying solely on its historic department-store model. By the mid-2020s, local and specialty businesses such as Fight or Flight Comics, Animazed, and Anime X were reported to be filling additional vacant or underused spaces. The center's department-store base contracted further in 2026. Macy's announced a closure as part of a nationwide reduction plan, and Saks Global announced the closure of the Saks Fifth Avenue store along with other Saks and Neiman Marcus locations. The reported departures left Belk, Belk Outlet, Dillard's, and Barnes & Noble as the principal named operating anchors in the available reference material. The mall also experienced further reported shootings in April 2026, including a parking-lot incident with no reported victims and a later shooting inside the mall that injured three people. These incidents reinforced the importance of security and property management as the center continued to adapt its tenant mix and pursue future development.

• 2026

  Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue departures

  [1]Triangle Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue were reported to have announced and completed closures at the mall as part of broader corporate cost-cutting and store-reduction programs.

• 2024

  Summit Properties USA becomes owner

  [1]Triangle Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Summit Properties USA acquired the approximately 70-acre property from Kohan, with future development identified as a priority.

• 2021

  Sears closes and Kohan acquires the mall

  [1]Triangle Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Sears shut its store, and Kohan Retail Investment Group purchased the property later that year.

• 2018

  Water-main failure disrupts operations

  [1]Triangle Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  A water-main break caused an evacuation, early closure, and an extended period of repairs and tenant disruption.

• 2015

  Fatal parking-lot shooting

  [1]Triangle Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  A woman was shot in the parking lot and later died.

• 2010

  Hudson Belk operates as Belk

  [1]Triangle Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Hudson Belk name was replaced by the shorter Belk name.

• 2008

  Teen disturbance leads to evacuation

  [1]Triangle Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  A large fight and related disturbance resulted in the mall being evacuated before law enforcement restored order.

• 2006

  Hecht's becomes Macy's

  [1]Triangle Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Hecht's anchor was converted to a Macy's store.

• 2004

  Saks Fifth Avenue joins the property

  [1]Triangle Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Saks Fifth Avenue opened at the mall, reportedly becoming the first location for the brand in North Carolina.

• 2002

  Triangle Town Center opens

  [1]Triangle Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The mall opened on August 14 with Hudson Belk, Sears, Dillard's, and Hecht's as its original anchor tenants.

A regional enclosed shopping center serving North Raleigh and the wider Research Triangle, combining department stores with specialty retail, dining, books, local merchants, and prospective redevelopment opportunities.

• Department store · 2002

  Belk

  Belk is one of Triangle Town Center's principal operating department-store anchors. Its typical assortment includes men's, women's, and children's apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty products, and home merchandise. The location originally opened under the Hudson Belk name before the chain adopted the Belk name at the mall.

• Department store · 2002

  Dillard's

  Dillard's has been an anchor at Triangle Town Center since the mall opened. The store provides department-store apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, and home goods and remains one of the center's major named anchors.

• Books and specialty retail · 2002

  Barnes & Noble

  The mall's two-level Barnes & Noble functions as a junior anchor. Its format traditionally combines books, magazines, gifts, stationery, games, and related media products, providing a destination-oriented use distinct from the department stores.

• Outlet department store

  Belk Outlet

  Belk Outlet is identified among the mall's operating anchor or major-format tenants. It offers discounted department-store merchandise, generally emphasizing apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty, and home categories.

• Independent retail

  Local specialty retail

  Following the departure of several national tenants, local businesses occupied former retail spaces. Reported examples include Lim's, Yumna Jewelers, Malay Jewelers, Fight or Flight Comics, Animazed, and Anime X, reflecting a more diversified and locally oriented tenant mix.

• 2026

  Department-store anchor departuresStrategy

  Background

  Macy's and Saks Global were implementing broader store-reduction and cost-cutting programs focused on reducing less profitable locations.

  Action taken

  Macy's announced the closure of its Triangle Town Center store, followed by Saks Global's announcement that the Saks Fifth Avenue location would close.

  Aftermath

  The reported closures further reduced the mall's traditional department-store anchor base and increased the importance of re-leasing, local retail, and redevelopment.

  Source

• 2024

  Summit Properties USA purchases the propertyM&A

  Background

  Triangle Town Center continued to face vacant anchor space and the need to adapt its enclosed-mall format.

  Action taken

  Summit Properties USA acquired the approximately 70-acre mall from Kohan Retail Investment Group.

  Aftermath

  New development was identified as part of the property's future, while additional local businesses reportedly filled vacant spaces.

  Source

• 2021

  Kohan Retail Investment Group acquires Triangle Town CenterM&A

  Background

  The property changed ownership amid the continuing pressure on enclosed shopping centers and the reduction of traditional department-store footprints.

  Action taken

  Kohan Retail Investment Group purchased the mall in November 2021.

  Aftermath

  Cinnabon returned to the mall during this period, while the property later changed hands again in 2024.

  Source

1. 1Triangle Town Centeren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Triangle Town Center official websitetriangletowncenter.com