Dillard's sets opening this month for consolidated Battlefield Mall store

Little Rock, Arkansas-based Dillard's Inc. (NYSE: DDS) has scheduled a July 31 grand opening for its consolidated retail presence at Battlefield Mall.

Members of the media were invited to a sneak peek of the nearly 180,000-square-foot department store on July 22. A ticketed premiere night to benefit Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks is slated to be held July 25, with a soft launch starting the next day to be followed up by a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 31, officials said.

The new Dillard's store takes the place of Sears, which closed in 2020, and replaces the company's two existing spaces totaling over 200,000 square feet in Battlefield Mall on the north and southeast sides of the shopping center. In announcing the consolidation plans earlier this year, Dillard’s said the combined space would provide a "one-stop shopping experience and expanded product selection along with the signature style, quality and value our customers have always known." 

Dillard's now owns the former Sears space, on the far west side of the mall; Greene County assessor and recorder filings shows Higbee Investco LLC, which is tied to Dillard's, bought the nearly 13-acre portion of the retail center in May 2024 from TF Springfield MO LLC. A note amount related to the real estate purchase is not on file with the Greene County recorder’s office.

The sneak peek yesterday was led by Cido Cuautle, district manager assistant at Dillard's, and Jonathan Carmona, the store's assistant manager. The manager of the Dillard's store, Suzi Buchheit, is on maternity leave.

Carmona said it's been a career highlight working with Dillard's corporate to set the new store up for customers.

"Every day that I come in here, it's so exciting," he said. "We do have a lot of potential here for growth."

A handful of store division managers over areas such as fashion jewelry, cosmetics, women's shoes, men's sportswear, children's apparel, home decor and lingerie spoke about the varied offerings at the new Dillard's location, and they pointed to new brands to be offered including Consuela, Kut from the Kloth, Hugo Boss, Pandora and Southern Living Design House. There's an in-house spa room that's part of the store's beauty services, suit and bra fittings, and fragrance sampling, among other offerings.

The store has 154 employees currently, and ongoing hiring is expected to bring that figure up to 165, said Carmona, noting workers from the existing Dillard's operations in the mall are transferring over to the new location.

"What I want people to leave with is the experience that they get here in our store," he said, repeating themes of luxury and service that were voiced throughout the tour. "We've been training our associates ... to provide the service that the clients would need."

Alli Gray, director of marketing and business development at Battlefield Mall, which is owned by Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group Inc. (NYSE: SPG), welcomed the new Dillard's store in a statement provided to Springfield Business Journal. Gray said details on the spaces Dillard's is vacating in the mall would be released at a later date. Dillard’s is currently wrapping up operations in those leased spaces.

"We are excited for the opening of the new Dillard’s location, which will further enhance the strong shopping experience at Battlefield Mall," Gray said in the statement. "While we can’t share specifics yet, we are always exploring opportunities to bring shoppers the newest and most exciting retailer destinations. We look forward to sharing updates soon."