Charlotte malls, other retailers cuts hours amid coronavirus spread
Two Charlotte malls are cutting back hours as COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, continues to spread.
Effective Monday, March 16, all Brookfield Properties’ shopping centers in the U.S., which includes Carolina Place Mall in Charlotte, will operate noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Other properties in North Carolina include The Streets at Southpoint in Durham, Four Seasons Town Centre in Greensboro, Valley Hills Mall in Hickory, Greenville Mall in Greenville and Independence Mall in Wilmington, as well as Columbiana Centre in Columbia, S.C.
“This revised operating schedule is intended to strike a balance between allowing our communities to receive the goods, services, employment and commerce they need, while also enabling our property and store teams to implement rigorous cleanings each evening, in addition to the focus, frequency and intensity of cleanings throughout the day,” a statement from Brookfield Properties to the Observer said Monday morning.
Carolina Place Mall recommends checking online at carolinaplace.com for other tenant hour changes. The mall sees more than 14 million customers a year and includes 124 stores like Belk, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Dick’s Sporting Good and REI, according to Brookfield Properties’ website.
In Charlotte, some local-owned restaurants already opted to close or change to curbside pickup after Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency Sunday declaring schools closed, canceling large gatherings and urging businesses to allow employees to work from home.
Northlake Mall also will cut hours, Scott Anderson, marketing director for the mall said Monday afternoon.
Northlake Mall hours will start temporary hours of noon-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday starting Tuesday, March 17, until further notice.
The mall advises checking with individual stores, restaurants and other tenants for varying hours. All mall events have been canceled through March 31.
Simon Property Group, which owns Concord Mills, SouthPark Mall and Charlotte Premium Outlets in the Charlotte area, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The company and mall websites also do not include any coronavirus response information.
Retailers, like Apple stores, which includes its Northlake location, are closed until March 27, the company says on its website.
Anthropologie, with locations at Northlake and SouthPark malls and Atherton Mill in Southend, also is temporarily closed until until at least March 28, according to the company website. Shoppers are urged to go online and use the store app.
These national retailers are among more than 30 U.S. retailers nationwide that are closed temporarily, according to national news outlets. Others, which also have Charlotte locations, include Patagonia, Abercrombie & Fitch, Urban Outfitters, Free People, Hollister & Gilly Hicks, Lululemon, REI, Madewell, JCrew and Nike.
Over the weekend, grocers Harris Teeter, Publix, Trader Joe’s and Wal-Mart also announced reduced hours.
Salisbury-based Food Lion has not changed its hours but said Monday store locations remain busy with in-store customers and through pickup and delivery options.
“Stores are working to ensure they have associates available to sanitize, restock and otherwise serve customers and are adding additional associate hours on a case-by-case basis as needed,” said Matt Harakal, external communications director.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 1:00 PM.