Ross Park Mall releases new plans after Sears closes

ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Big anchor store Sears left Ross Park Mall with a large space to fill.

"We are using that as an opportunity to enhance the community by adding new retailers, restaurants, entertainment, cafeteria," said Jennifer Carroll, Pittsburgh area marketing director for the Simon Property Group.

RELATED: New dining, entertainment planned for former Sears at Ross Park Mall

Those are just a few things that Channel 11 learned the Simon-owned mall plans to start building in the former Sears space. Construction is expected to be completed in 2020.

Many stores are going out of business because they can't compete with online retailers that started out as catalogs and online shops and then needed to expand to brick-and-mortar stores.

Dayna Sabbath manages Soft Surroundings in Ross Park mall. The national chain found it more profitable to broaden into a mall for their particular customers.

"Our customer really likes to touch and feel everything and she doesn't always like the online shopping experience," Sabbath said.

Two new stores are opening in mall the next month, and another one, a locally owned leggings store, is already open.

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Cox Media Group