Four tenants signed for former Sears space at Coral Ridge

CORALVILLE - Four retailers have signed leases for stores in the remodeled former Sears store at Coral Ridge Mall.

General Growth Properties, owner of the mall, bought the 98,000-square-foot building from Sears Holdings in 2012. The building, which has been gutted in preparation for creating six separate stores, has not had a permanent tenant since Sears closed its store in January 2013.

Monica Nadeau, Coral Ridge general manager, said the four retailers don't want to be named yet, but some will be new to the Coralville-Iowa City market.

'We're still working on finalizing deals for the other two spaces,” Nadeau said.

Contractors have enclosed the building, which has been expanded by 6,000 square feet. The retailers will have separate outside entrances and share internal loading docks.

Nadeau said a new floor will be poured as work moves forward on interior finishes. She said the new stores are expected to open in late September or October.

Nadeau said the mall also is working on filling the former Coldwater Creek space. The women's apparel and accessories retailer closed its brick-and-mortar stores in 2014 and reorganized as a catalog and online merchant.

Nadeau said Victoria's Secret temporarily has relocated to the smaller former Gap space.

'We have gutted the Victoria's Secret store, which will be expanded into the old Hollister space,” she said. 'It's going to be a huge store.”

'We're getting close to announcing a store that will be across from Victoria's Secret. That lease was just approved on Friday.”