A look ahead at the reinvented Bloomingdale's wing at MOA

At least four “major international fashion-forward retail stores”–three new to town–will replace Bloomingdale’s at Mall of America, vice president of public relations Dan Jasper announced Wednesday. He was not ready to name names today, but Zara and TopShop are among the likely contenders. (Worth noting: another hot new concept in expansion mode, Joe Fresh, is Canadian. That counts as international!)  Expect announcements over the next few months as leases are finalized.

Bloomingdale’s was one of the original MOA anchors, and is the first to leave. The Macy’s Inc.-owned retailer announced plans to close three other stores nationwide. The MOA store will close in March. A sale starts this Sunday.

“We are grateful to Bloomingdale’s for 20 years and wish them the best,” Jasper said. “This gives us an opportunity to be a trendsetter.”

MOA plans to break out of the traditional anchor model and will add a sub-level,  turning the larger space into a wing for “luxury retailers and a new upscale restaurant.” One of the yet-to-be-named retailers will occupy a 90,000 square foot space on the new sub-level and first floor (hmm…smells like Top Shop). On the third level of the Bloomingdale’s space, Jasper said, “we will continue to add destination value-priced retail.” Owner Triple Five Worldwide will invest $30 to $50 million for the renovations and new construction, which is scheduled to begin in mid-February.