Aug. 8--Macy's will close its store at the Karcher Mall in Nampa in fall 2009 and open a larger store in the new Nampa Gateway Center at Interstate 84 and Garrity Boulevard, the department store retailer said Thursday.

News that the Karcher Mall store will close came just months after Macy's renewed its lease there for an additional five years.

Macy's officials at the regional office in San Francisco were not immediately available for comment. In a statement, Macy's said employees working at the 60,000-square-foot Karcher Mall store will transfer to the 103,000-square-foot Gateway Center store.

Macy's has two locations at the Karcher Mall: is main store on the east end and a Macy's Clearance outlet near the center of the mall.

It was not immediately clear whether the company's outlet store will move or close, said Chris Nichelson, manager of California-based Milam Properties LLC, which manages the Karcher Mall.

Nichelson said Macy's is committed to honoring the terms of its five-year lease. However, he said Karcher Mall will have a "window of opportunity" where it will be able to break its lease with Macy's by bringing in a new tenant for the vacated space.

He said news Macy's departure was not a surprise, noting that the store had been looking to increase its space.

"We just had been able to work a financial deal with Macy's," Nichelson said.

Milam has already had several major retailers come in and look at the space now occupied by Macy's. He did not name the potential new tenants.

"We're sorry to see Macy's go," Nichelson said. "But at the same time we excited about a new tenant bringing new life to the location."

The new Macy's location at the Gateway Center will be a one-level store with an open-air design that will include a main street entrance configuration and an emphasis on natural lighting.

When completed, Gateway Center will feature retail stores, restaurants and a hotel.

"We look forward to bringing an exciting new shopping experience to the Nampa area," said Jeff Gennette, chairman and CEO of Macy's West, in a statement.

"We also think the new location is well-positioned to serve Nampa, as well as Caldwell, Meridian and West Boise."

Macy's has had a presence at the Karcher Mall since 1973 when the store was known as the Bon Marche. It also has stores at the Boise Towne Square mall and in Downtown Boise.

Joe Estrella: 377-6465

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Story Source: The Idaho Statesman, Boise