LA Fitness, Homesense Coming To Ocean County Mall

TOMS RIVER, NJ — When the closure of Sears was announced at the Ocean County Mall in 2018, there was a lot of debate about what should replace it.

Simon Property Group, the mall owner, said it was planning to bring in not just more retail, but more restaurants and fitness.

"We are excited to redevelop the former Sears store with uses that will benefit the community and the existing retailers in these properties," Michael E. McCarty, the chief operating officer of Simon Malls, said last April as Sears shut down.

This week, Simon announced two new tenants for its redevelopment of the mall, which involves tearing down the former Sears building and constructing free-standing buildings. LA Fitness will fill one of the new sites, and Homesense, the home furnishings store, will fill the other.

BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse is under construction on a separate pad closer to Hooper Avenue and is scheduled to open this summer, a Simon spokesperson said.

LA Fitness, which opened a state-of-the-art club in Brick in December 2018, will offer a wide range of amenities for people of all ages and fitness levels at the 34,000-square-foot gym. Among them: cardio areas, studios with group fitness classes, free weights, a swimming pool, and personal training. Construction is expected to begin soon and the opening is projected to be in the first quarter of 2020.

Homesense is described as "a new kind of home store that invites customers to discover aisles of unexpected finds from around the world and an ever-changing selection of famous brands – all with genuine value."

The store carries products in categories such as furniture, lighting, rugs, art, workspace, and décor. Homesense expects to open in the second half of 2020, the Simon news release said.

"We are committed to reinvesting in the property including the look and feel of the center and LA Fitness and Homesense will be great additions," said Tara Melodick, mall manager at Ocean County Mall. The mall will remain opened throughout the redevelopment and the entire project is scheduled to be completed by mid-2020.