Burlington clothing store coming to Springfield Town Center this year

(Updated at 12:40 p.m.) Springfield Town Center is gearing up for a big 2023.

Burlington will open a 30,000-square-foot store at the mall this year, property owner PREIT announced today.

Coupled with the much-anticipated Lego Discovery Center, which is expected to open this summer, the addition of the clothing department store will put the town center at a record 95.5% occupancy, according to a press release.

“We are pleased to welcome Burlington Stores to Springfield Town Center, another milestone in our mission to create a diverse tenant mix including non-traditional mall retailers,” PREIT Chairman and CEO Joseph Coradino said in a statement.

Burlington’s store will have two levels and both exterior and interior entrances. It will be located by Nordstrom Rack along Frontier Road, moving into a space that H&M is currently occupying on a temporary basis.

H&M’s permanent store is undergoing a renovation that will open this spring. After that store moves into its new space, construction on Burlington will begin, according to a town center spokesperson.

The Springfield Burlington will be the company’s sixth store in Fairfax County, joining locations in Fairfax City, Tysons, Seven Corners, and Bailey’s Crossroads.

Currently anchored by department stores like Target and Macy’s, Springfield Town Center welcomed over 20,000 square feet of stores in 2022, according to PREIT. New arrivals included the fashion accessory store Lovisa, the pop culture merchandise store BoxLunch, Shawarma Taco, and Carter’s, a kids’ clothing store.

In addition to Burlington and Lego, upcoming tenants will include Daily Thread, a clothing chain primarily based in the Midwest.

Though envisioned by Fairfax County as more of a mixed-use community, Springfield Town Center has remained primarily focused on retail even after undergoing a major renovation and rebranding almost a decade ago.

Development efforts finally took a step forward on Dec. 6, when the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved plans for a five-story hotel and a 460-unit residential building called the Hanover, which will give Springfield its first new multifamily housing since 2001.

“The addition of Burlington Stores, the upcoming opening of Lego Discovery Center, and the planned apartment and hotel developments will strengthen the property’s appeal to customers and prospective tenants,” Coradino said.

Though the town center has no shortage of clothing options like Burlington, a market study released last fall suggested that the Lego Discovery Center will help diversify the town center’s retail offerings, which have started to trend more toward food service and entertainment.

The 32,000-square-foot facility broke ground on Dec. 8. It will feature interactive activities, a “mini world” made out of over 1.5 million Lego bricks, a 4D movie theater and more.

“It’s an engagement opportunity that I think is one that’s going to drive a lot of people to want to come and bring their sons and their daughters,” Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk told FFXnow in a Nov. 18 interview. “So, I’m really, really excited by it. I think it’s going to be a unique and well-attended facility.”