Image courtesy of LaSalle Investment Management
Seven months after buying a renovated but long-vacant office-retail property in downtown Boston, Hudson Group has a marquee tenant for the building.
Japanese clothing chain Uniqlo is set to open a new store in Boston’s Downtown Crossing at 395-403 Washington St., a space once occupied by a Barnes & Noble bookstore, but which has been vacant for nearly two decades since.
Hudson Group bought the 5-story, 76,000-square-foot property in March for an 80 percent discount on what its prior owners paid in 2017. That ownership group renovated the building’s retail space and installed a new, 2-story facade.
A the time of the sale, Hudson Group said the lower acquisition price would let it offer lower rents to future tenants. Uniqlo did not return a request for comment on the lease.
Fast Company originally reported the lease, which it said was part of a 12-store expansion nationwide.
“Our strategy is about thoughtful growth—opening the right stores in the right places—while ensuring every location reflects our customer’s voices and delivers a meaningful, high-quality experience,” Fuminori Adachi, CEO of the brand’s U.S. division, said in a statement to Fast Company.
Uniqlo’s new Downtown Crossing location will join other clothing retailers like Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, Old Navy, Primark and Macy’s within a one-block radius.
The new location is Uniqlo’s latest attempt at a second downtown Boston store. The company opened a “flagship” store on the second floor of Quincy Market in 2015, only to close it some years later.
The retailer currently operates a two-floor store at the end of Boston’s Newbury Street shopping district, plus The Shoppes at Chestnut Hill in Newton, the South Shore Mall in Braintree, the Burlington Mall and the Natick Mall.
Completed in 1925, the property was designed by Boston architect Nathaniel J. Bradlee. It was home to a variety of retail anchors over the years including B.W. Currier and W.T. Grant. Its first two retail floors are capped by three floors of offices.
