Rural King Plan Filed for Vacant Sears Space at Lakeland Square Mall

A conceptual plan filed with the City of Lakeland this week could finally put a tenant in the long-empty former Sears building at Lakeland Square Mall. Illinois-based farm-and-home retailer Rural King has submitted the plan for city staff review, proposing to take over the roughly 151,000-to-155,000-square-foot space on U.S. 98 North that has sat dark since Sears closed its doors in 2018.

The filing is early. It's a conceptual plan, not a permit or an approved project, and city staff still has to review it before anything moves toward construction. But it's the most concrete step toward reusing the space in years, and for a mall that has spent nearly a decade losing anchors, that alone is news.

If the store opens, it would be Rural King's second location in Polk County. The chain already operates a store in Lake Wales, and it sells farm supplies, animal feed, tools, hunting and fishing gear, work clothing, and housewares, a format built around big-box space that fits the old department-store footprint far better than a typical strip retailer would.

A space with a rocky history

The Sears building has been through more than one failed reuse plan already. The property changed hands in September 2023 for $4 million, with a developer proposing to tear it down and build 320 apartments in its place. That plan stalled, and by January 2024 the site was back on the market, relisted for $10.9 million. Since then, it has sat empty while the rest of the mall has thinned out around it.

Lakeland Square Mall's active anchors are currently Dillard's and JCPenney, along with newer draws like Urban Air Adventure Park and Cinemark Theatres. Macy's closed its store at the mall in recent years, following the same pattern of anchor losses that has hit enclosed malls across Central Florida.

What happens next

The city has not announced a timeline for reviewing the conceptual plan or said when, or if, it will advance to a formal site plan and permitting stage. Rural King has not announced an opening date or confirmed the project publicly. Conceptual plans are the earliest step in Lakeland's development review process and can change significantly, or be withdrawn, before they reach the commission or go to construction.

For a mall that has watched anchor after anchor leave over the past decade, even an early-stage filing carries weight. Whether it becomes a farm-and-home superstore, another apartment complex, or something else entirely likely won't be clear for months. Residents who shop, work, or live near the U.S. 98 North corridor will want to watch for the next filing update from the city.

Stay connected with the latest on this and other stories at the Lakeland Community Website, and join the conversation in our Community Forum. For more on what's shaping local retail and development, check out our business development coverage and coming soon section for the latest on projects headed to Lakeland.

Header photo: MikeKalasnik / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)