WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — One of the most popular and profitable storefronts inside the Sikes Senter Mall is relocating, with construction on the new location set to begin in the coming weeks.
On Monday, August 8, 2022, Quail Creek Crossing property manager Andy Lee confirmed Bath & Body Works will relocate to the shopping center at the corner of Maplewood Boulevard and Lawrence Road.
“We’ve been working with Bath & Body Works for the past five years and are excited to announce, we now have them in Wichita Falls’ premiere shopping center, Quail Creek Shopping Center,” Lee said.
Lee said the store will be located next to Five Below, which was formerly the home of Dressbarn.
This marks the third major retailer to announce plans to leave Sikes Senter Mall in less than a year and the second major departure under the ownership of the Kohan Retail Investment Group, which purchased the mall in February 2022.
In late August 2021, officials with Old Navy announced their plans to relocate to Quail Creek Crossing. Although Lee hoped to open the family apparel retailer before Christmas 2021, the store opened on February 23, 2022, less than two weeks after Kohan’s purchase of Sikes Senter.
The recent fiasco surrounding one of Sikes Senter’s anchor stores, Dillard’s, is still a fresh memory for many Wichitans.
On May 12, 2022, Texoma’s Homepage reported a Dillard’s spokesperson had confirmed that the Wichita Falls store would be closing sometime in 2022. Two weeks later, on May 26, it was reported Dillard’s had canceled their plans to close the store after reaching an agreement with the mall’s new management.
The excitement was short-lived, however, after officials with Dillard’s on July 11, 2022, confirmed that indeed, the store would be closing. Despite rumors that they may be looking to relocate and open a new location in Wichita Falls, management with Dillard’s reported those rumors were false.
The departure of a third major retailer from Sikes Senter Mall in less than a year once again raises questions about the Kohan Retail Investment Group.
Despite more local businesses calling Sikes Senter home in recent months, the relocation of another major store to another area in Wichita Falls would only pull more traffic away from Sikes Senter Mall, translating to fewer prospective customers for those local business owners.
This is a developing story. Stick with Texoma’s Homepage for updates as they become available.
