Newest mall tenant: An 'athletic resort'

A J.C. Penney store is going to be displaced by a fancy fitness club.



Simon announced that the J.C. Penney store at Southdale Center, in Edina, Minn., will close and be replaced by a Life Time fitness center, or ‘athletic resort.’ Expected to open in early 2019, the three-level facility will be operated by Life Time, which currently runs 123 centers in the United States. The centers are designed as one-stop fitness shops offering tennis, swimming, basketball, and yoga along with weight loss and nutrition education.



According to a report by the Minneapolis StarTribune, the Life Time center at Southdale will have an indoor and an outdoor pool, and a bistro. It will also offer Ultimate Hoops basketball leagues, chiropractic and physical therapy and a proactive care medical practice.



Life Time founder and CEO Bahram Akradi’s vision for his concept is to turn shopping centers into “healthy lifestyle villages” where people work a heavy dose of healthy living into their live-work-play lifestyles.



“Our focus is to develop all-inclusive destinations that encompass the full spectrum of daily life for thousands of individuals, couples and families of all ages," said Akradi.



Southdale Center, which opened in 1956, has the distinction of being the nation’s first indoor regional shopping mall, according to Simon, which looks to lengthen its life span by infusing it with modern offerings and energy.



"This project with Life Time is part of a larger vision for Southdale Center, to create a connected community epicenter," said Michael McCarty, Simon’s executive VP of Development Operations. "With new nearby apartments, the recently opened Hennepin County Service Center, a hotel coming soon, and this athletic resort on the way, Southdale is realizing that vision."



Life Time is a rapidly expanding concept with a presence in almost 30 states. Southdale is one of 10 new clubs under development at the current time.