Demolition timeline for 57-year-old mall with JCPenney and Macy’s ‘up in the air’ after Walmart buys shopping center

The update comes as other longstanding shopping centers around the country have been wiped out in 2026.

Monroeville Mall in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, is still operating with anchor stores like JCPenney and Macy’s, but has been scheduled for an April 2027 demolition for some time. Walmart-affiliated developer Cypress Equities bought the mall for $34 milllion in February 2025. By October of the same year, it detailed plans to demolish, redevelop, and “reimagine” the area into a “new retail and commercial destination.”

It filed an application for a $7.5 million state grant through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, too.

Cypress Equities said in the application that wants Monroeville Mall to be converted into a mixed-use retail, restaurant and entertainment complex known as the “Monroeville Mall Gateway.”

As part of the new plans, tenants were asked to vacate the premises before the demolition timeline, but officials have said the project remains “up in the air,” per comments from Monroeville Mayor Dennis Biondo.

“We’re not sure that the April date is going to happen any longer, but we’ve had no formal plans that said that it’s not going to happen or that they’re going to go forward with it,” Biondo said in a statement, per ABC affiliate WTAE. The mayor also noted that no documents have been formally submitted to the municipality yet pertaining to the demolition or future site plans.

The “retail apocalypse” began in the 2010s and accelerated during the pandemic due to factors like the rise of e-commerce, shifting consumer habits, and the effects of the 2008 financial crisis, all pushing mass brick-and-mortar closures and bankruptcies.

At the start of last year, experts estimated 15,000 store closures in 2025 – more than double 2024’s numbers and the highest number seen since the pandemic. A number of retail giants shut down stores in 2025, including:

Department stores:Macy’s, JCPenney, Kohl’s, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue/Saks Off 5th Specialty and craft stores:Joann, Party City, Claire’s Drugstores:Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid Apparel stores:Forever 21, Foot Locker, Carter’s, Gap, REI Groceries and home goods:Big Lots, Dollar General, Family Dollar, Kroger, American Signature, At Home Electronics and entertainment:GameStop, Best Buy, Regal Cinemas

Retail experts anticipate a continued wave of shutdowns in 2026 as businesses adapt to shifting consumer behavior, optimize their store footprints, and address economic headwinds. Several companies have already announced store closures for this year, many of which are a continuation of 2025’s closure efforts, including:

Macy’s Kroger
Yankee Candle
Saks off 5th
REI
Walgreens
GameStop
Carter’s
Foot Locker