This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Dick's Sporting Goods will be closing its large outlet in The Gateway mall in Salt Lake City soon after the start of 2017.
The shopping center's owner, Arizona-based Vestar, has declined to comment on the departure, citing a policy of not publicly discussing leasing arrangements. But a source within the company said the two-floor retail space that Dick's now occupies eventually will be filled with an "entertainment-related" tenant.
A call Thursday seeking comment from Dick's headquarters near Pittsburgh was not immediately returned.
The sports-equipment vendor, once considered among the anchor retailers at The Gateway, maintains other Utah outlets in Midvale, American Fork, Layton, Orem and St. George.
Vestar, operator of nearly 45 malls across the West, bought The Gateway in February and has announced plans to invest up to $100 million to transform the shopping center into a regional food-and-beverage, entertainment and social hub.
Saying it envisions "a modern, urban playground," Vestar has told existing tenants its current strategy is catching up on maintenance deferred by its prior owner as well as improving safety and making its parking garages easier to use while it prepares to refurbish the mall's common areas.
In addition to spending up to $40 million on structural improvements and other upgrades to the open-air mall, plans include construction of a $60 million, 167-room hotel at the historic Union Pacific Depot.
During a recent visit to Salt Lake City, Vestar President David Larcher said high-profile departures from the mall's roster of retailers were signals that new attractions are coming.
The Gateway, built in 2001 with taxpayer backing, features nearly 80 stores and eateries.
Twitter: @TonySemerad