The city issued a permit Feb. 12 for Welbro Building Corp. to renovate the former Toys R Us in The Markets at Town Center for Rooms To Go, whose CEO bought the property Oct. 30.
Welbro, of Maitland will renovate the retail space at 4875 Town Center Parkway and convert it to Rooms To Go at a project cost of almost $3.5 million,
According to the permit, the work includes complete interior tenant improvements to the 84,880-square-foot property and minor exterior facade upgrades and civil and landscape work. Plans show a 73,315-square-foot main floor and 11,565 square feet of mezzanine space.
Cormorant SJ Properties LLC, based in Seffner and led by Rooms To Go CEO Jeffrey Seaman, bought the property for $10 million from Hines Global REIT 4875 Town Center LLC.
Rooms To Go intends to renovate the store as its new concept, Seaman said then.
In addition to its current furniture line, Rooms To Go is adding an expanded children’s section and a 9,000-square-foot area for outdoor patio furniture.
According to the company, at 74,000 square feet with a 55,000-square-foot showroom, the location will be the company’s largest new concept store.
“We love Jacksonville. It’s a very good market for Rooms To Go. We were just waiting for the right location to do it,” Seaman said previously.
He said then that he hoped to start construction in late winter and complete it about six months later.
Hines Global REIT owns The Markets at Town Center.
Rooms To Go, based in Seffner, operates three Northeast Florida stores in Orange Park, Regency and The Avenues area. Seaman said the Regency or Avenues store will be converted into an outlet and the other will close. He said all jobs will be retained.
In addition to the relocated jobs, the new store will add about 30, totaling 50-60 employees.
The Markets at Town Center Toys R Us and Babies R Us store closed in 2018. It is next to Sprouts Farmers Market.
The Shopping Center Group partner and Senior Vice President Stephanie McCullough and Vice President Kelly Pulignano represented Hines Global REIT in the sale.
McCullough said David Gabbai at Colliers International in Orlando represented Rooms To Go.