Belk is looking to sublease its 475,000-square-foot headquarters on West Tyvola Road, according to CoStar News.
The publication reports Scott Wilson with Childress Klein is handling the sublease for that space at 2801 W. Tyvola Road. Wilson did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Belk spokesperson Jessica Rohlik confirmed the retailer is shifting to "predominantly" remote work for corporate employees.
“The change in work created by the pandemic enabled us to improve connections, communications and productivity. Additionally, our associates overwhelmingly support remote work and the flexibility that it allows,” Rohlik says.
It is exploring options to use excess space in local stores for meeting rooms and offices, Rohlik adds.
Belk has roughly a dozen stores in the greater Charlotte region. In total, it has 291 locations across 16 states in the U.S., primarily in the Southeast. The company is owned by New York private equity firm Sycamore Partners.
“This shift will allow our associates to work more closely with our product assortments and customers, and we are excited for the opportunities it creates,” Rohlik says.
She did not respond to a request for additional information on Monday.
Belk’s decision to switch to a remote workforce comes just months after the department store chain entered — and exited — Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in less than 24 hours. It recently promoted Nir Patel to chief executive. He replaces CEO Lisa Harper, who moved to executive chair of the Belk board of directors.
CoStar reports that Belk’s headquarters pushes Charlotte’s total available office sublease space to nearly 2.6 million square feet. That’s a rate of roughly three times the national average.