As some major retailers exit St. Paul neighborhoods, the Sun Ray Shopping Center is poised to welcome a new big box retailer this fall.
Known for its discounted apparel and home decor, Burlington will open a new storefront at the Sun Ray Shopping Center in St. Paul on Nov. 1, according to the retailer.
“Burlington will occupy a 20,206-square-foot space at the west end of the center,” said Maria Pace, a spokesperson for Brixmor Property Group, which owns and operates the shopping center at 2089 Old Hudson Road.
Less than a mile from 3M headquarters, Sun Ray Shopping Center also recently welcomed Ross Dress for Less, the largest off-price apparel and home fashion chain in the nation, and Five Below, which sell collectibles, candy and room décor.
“The addition of Burlington builds on strong leasing momentum at Sun Ray, following the openings of Ross Dress for Less and Five Below last year,” Pace said in a statement.
The shopping mall also received upgrades including “refreshed facades” and new pylon signage that enhances the mall’s visibility with over 93,000 vehicles passing it daily along Interstate 94, Pace said.
Brixmor Property Group owns and operates approximately 360 retail centers across the country including the Roseville Center at the corner of Larpenteur and Lexington avenues, Southport Centre I-VI in Apple Valley, Richfield Hub and White Bear Hills Shopping Center.
The Sun Ray Shopping Center, which spans nearly 291,000 square feet, is over 80% leased, according to Brixmor records. The roughly 10 available spaces at Sun Ray range from 425-square-feet to 11,749-square-feet.
Built by construction and realty firm Kraus-Anderson in 1956, Sun Ray is now anchored by Cub Foods and home to a Dollar Tree, Planet Fitness, Jimmy John’s and Sally Beauty Supply, to name a few.
Formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory, the New Jersey-based retailer operates more than 1,100 stores across 46 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Other Burlington locations in the east metro include Roseville, West St. Paul, Apple Valley and Oakdale.
Burlington’s total sales for the second quarter, which ended Aug. 2, increased 10% compared to the same period last year, totaling $2.7 billion, according to a recent news release from the retailer. Comparable store sales increased 5% compared to last year’s second quarter.
For the first six months of Fiscal Year 2025, total sales were up 8% compared to last year and net income increased 28% compared to the same period, the release states.
Burlington is currently hiring for the new store.
Midway woes
Burlington’s new storefront, found at the corner of Pedersen Street and Old Hudson Road, was previously leased by TJ Maxx, “which exited at the end of its lease term in 2023,” Pace said.
Around the same time, TJ Maxx also exited its St. Paul Midway location after 10 years on University Avenue.
Today, St. Paul is without a TJ Maxx, but shoppers don’t have to travel far because shortly after the Sun Ray location closed, a new storefront opened in Woodbury’s Tamarack Village.
Losing TJ Maxx was the tip of the iceberg for St. Paul’s Midway, which lost a longtime grocer just last month and saw the demolition of its 25-year-old McDonald’s earlier this year.
Cub Foods, which opened in the Midway Marketplace in 1995, closed its doors at the end of August and laid off nearly 100 workers. Weeks before the closing announcement, blame fell on the store’s lack of shopping carts, the closure of self-checkout lanes and a visible rise in shoplifting and petty crime.
Located at University and Hamline avenues, the 324,000-square-feet Midway Marketplace was bought by Kraus-Anderson for $31 million in 2019.
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