Store closures
In recent years, the Exton Square Mall has seen an increase in the vacancy rate, due to declining mall traffic and ongoing competition from the larger King of Prussia mall located 14 mi away.
On January 15, 2014, it was announced that the JCPenney store would be closing as part of a plan to close 33 locations nationwide.[26] With the closure of JCPenney, PREIT announced plans to reposition the Exton Square Mall. As part of the redevelopment, PREIT would take over the Kmart outparcel in 2016 and replace it with Whole Foods Market, which opened in 2018.[24][27][28][29] In addition, Japanese-based Round One Corporation opened a bowling center and arcade on the first floor of the former JCPenney on December 9, 2016.[30]
In 2017, the Sears Auto Center closed, and the Sears anchor store closed in September 2019. The space was later used temporarily in 2021 as a COVID-19 vaccination clinic.
On January 9, 2025, it was announced that Macy's would be closing as part of a plan to close 66 stores nationwide.[31] The store closed on March 23, 2025. This left Boscov's as the last traditional department store anchor at the mall, while Round One continues to occupy the first level of the former JCPenney.
Other tenants such as CharlotteRusse, Zumiez, H&M, and all but one food court tenant (Chick-fil-A) have departed from the mall. Tenants such as LensCrafters, Banana Republic, and Saladworks moved to Main Street at Exton, a nearby open-air shopping mall. In 2019, the non-anchor occupancy rate at the mall was 65.1%. Several of the spaces in the mall are occupied by non-traditional tenants such as medical offices, a chess club, an art studio and gallery, and a chamber of commerce office.[32]
On March 15, 2022, PREIT announced that it would sell the Exton Square Mall to raise money to pay down their debt.[33] A sale to the Brandywine Realty Trust was in place, but subsequently fell through for unknown reasons.
Maintenance issues
Since 2020, the mall has fallen into disrepair, as multiple major roof leaks are present throughout the building. Buckets and cones can be found throughout the facility, and mold is seen on decaying ceiling panels and around air vents. Additionally, the building's central air conditioning system appears to have broken sometime in July 2024, as the temperature within the mall reflects the exterior climate. Plug-in industrial fans are seen circulating air throughout the complex, though particularly in the food court area. There do not appear to be any plans to repair or restart the mall's HVAC equipment. The mall has also suffered from water leaks for a while, likely from the facility's fire sprinkler system.
Sale and redevelopment
In March 2025, PREIT sold the 75-acre property to Abrams Realty & Development for $34.25 million.[34] After the closure of Macy's, Abrams planned to demolish the mall at the end of 2025 and redevelop the property with more than 600 apartments and townhomes along with shops, restaurants, fitness, entertainment, office space and health care. The new buildings were planned to be known as "Exton Town Centre".[35] Only the Boscov's building and parking garages would remain, with the Round One (former JCPenney's) building remaining but being converted entirely into Main Line Health medical space.
The West Whiteland Township board initially pushed for approval of the plan in August 2025. However, the plan was then rejected in late October 2025, citing density, fears that the sewer cannot handle the large number of buildings, and traffic concerns. In response, Abrams sued the township, arguing that the rejection is a "speed bump" and asserted that the redevelopment plan meets zoning requirements. As a result, Exton Square Mall remains a "dead mall", and its future is uncertain.[36]
