Wet Seal, Body Central leave Saginaw County's Fashion Square Mall

SAGINAW TOWNSHIP, MI — Just after the holiday shopping season came to a close, two women's clothing retailers left Saginaw County's Fashion Square Mall, and another is closing soon.

Last week, teen fashion retailers Wet Seal and Body Central closed up shop in Fashion Square Mall, located at 4787 Fashion Square Mall, said mall General Manager Paul Martin.

And Deb Shops, which also caters to teens and young women, is in the midst of a going-out-of-business sale at all of its locations, including the one at Fashion Square.

"They're probably one of our original stores," Martin said, noting that the mall opened in 1972.

Related: Deb Shops closing all stores in Michigan, nationwide

Martin said the closure of Wet Seal, a mall tenant for about a decade, was "very immediate."

"The employees were told at the last minute, and they were done within about two days. So, last Thursday they vacated entirely," Martin said Tuesday, Jan. 13.

Mall officials weren't aware of the store's impending closure until they noticed its diminishing inventory, he said.

"When it looks extremely low, that's when we go and investigate."

Body Central's last day of operation in the mall was Sunday, Jan. 11. It had been a mall tenant for about three years.

These were not local decisions. Wet Seal closed 338 of its retail stores, and Body Central closed all of its 265 stores, according to media reports.

Martin, who has worked in the mall industry for about 35 years, has seen the ups and downs.

"Anytime you run into the first of the year, there's always fallout of tenants. Some years are more than others," he said. "This is being repeated throughout the entire country."

In Bay County, the Bay City Mall also is losing three tenants, including two of its anchors: Target, Sears and Deb.

Related: End of an era: Sears store at Bay City Mall slated to close Jan. 18

Nationally, major retailers including JC Penney and Macy's, also are closing locations.

"It's a matter of times. You're seeing a transition," Martin said. "There's no question that online sales does have an impact on the brick and mortar (stores), but malls are very resilient. They've always had the opportunity to reinvent themselves, so you'll see some new players come in."

As part of their continued evolution, Martin said he anticipates malls will take on more entertainment and restaurant tenants. In the case of Fashion Square Mall, he expects new retailers will take the place of the outgoing tenants.

In addition, some new tenants recently joined Fashion Square Mall, including B&C Pizza, Two Guys, Falafel & Fries and Cricket Wireless.

Related: Bay City's B&C Pizza opens in Fashion Square Mall

While online shopping might appeal to some, malls offer some things that online retailers can't: the ability to socialize and the ability to see and touch a product before buying it, Martin said.

"There's no question that people utilize malls as a community center."

Fashion Square Mall has 110 tenants, including Macy's, JC Penney, Sears, Aeropostale, Victoria's Secret, Express, Foot Locker, Shoe Dept. Encore, Christopher & Banks and Men's Wearhouse.

— Heather Jordan covers business, Saginaw Valley State University, health and hospitals for MLive/The Saginaw News/The Bay City Times. She can be reached at 989-450-2652 or hjordan@mlive.com. For more news, follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

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