A company headquartered in Hong Kong has bought a piece of property at the Edison Mall in Fort Myers. That property includes the closed Sears store, which used to be a popular shopping spot for people from all over Lee County. And a Fort Myers council member said it's possible the Sears may be torn down to make way for housing.
Documents filed with the Lee County Clerk of Court show the following: A to-be-identified Hong Kong based company paid $5,819,500. The money went to Seritage Growth Properties, headquartered in New York City. That company was the owner of the Sears store and surrounding parking spots.
The subsidiary is named Edison Florida Real Estate LLC.
The Hong Kong company through Edison Florida, now owns the closed Sears store and some of the parking areas around it. The Sears building is located on the northwest part of Edison Mall, near the intersection of U.S. 41 and Winkler Avenue.
Sears closed its doors at Edison Mall in the winter of 2020.
Fort Myers Councilman Fred Burson said he met recently with representatives of the new owners. He said they told him they'd like to tear down the Sears building and put up multi-family housing on the site and the surrounding parking areas.
Burson said the new owners have not yet presented plans to the city, nor have they applied for permits. But Burson did indicate the representatives of the Hong Kong company also have had some meetings with Fort Myers city staff members.
The councilman said it's not yet clear whether the new organization wants to put up apartments or condominiums, or a combination of the two.
Chase Mayhugh, owner of a commercial real estate firm in the Fort Myers area, said in an email to WGCU News that he has heard another possible plan for the site.
Mayhugh said he has heard that the Hong Kong owners might like to build a Chinese restaurant, an Asian Food Market and other retail uses on the property. However Mayhugh emphasized that no plans are finalized.
Correction, December 4, 2024: This story has been edited to indicate that Hopewell Holdings Sau Pink Kwok has expressed that the HHL Group "does not own property in Fort Myers, nor does it own any interests in Edison Florida Real Estate LLC. The listed owner of Edison Florida Real Estate LLC, Sau Pink Kwok, is not married to Sir Gordon Ying Sheung Wu and is not a director of HHL Group." WGCU is working to discover the correct name of the Hong Kong based company who has purchased the Fort Myers property.