A massive chunk of dead retail space at Haywood Mall is finally coming back to life. Round1, a Japanese entertainment chain known for bowling, arcades and karaoke, has confirmed it will open its first South Carolina location inside the mall's long-vacant Sears building, according to officials cited by FOX Carolina News.
The company made the announcement on Instagram on August 31, 2026, confirming the Greenville venue will mark its entry into the state, according to The Post and Courier. Per that report, Round1's nearest existing locations are in Atlanta and Greensboro, meaning the new spot will give Upstate residents a much shorter drive for bowling and arcade games. As FOX Carolina News reports, the venue will be located in the former Sears space at Haywood Mall in Greenville, and will include arcade games and bowling.
The Post and Courier's report goes further, describing a planned lineup that also includes billiards, food service, a full bar and a specialized attraction called Spo-cha — a timed-play indoor sports complex area unique to select Round1 locations. It's a hefty buildout: the City of Greenville issued a commercial alteration building permit valued at $9.28 million to general contractor Twin Shores Management LLC in July 2026 to convert 83,688 square feet of the anchor space, according to Pemberton Data Solutions. Twin Shores is a contractor frequently used by Round1 for its entertainment center construction, the outlet notes.
Primark Claims the Other Half of the Old Sears
Round1 isn't the only tenant moving into the old department store footprint. Irish budget apparel retailer Primark signed a lease back on March 25, 2025, to open its first South Carolina store in the same former Sears space, according to officials cited in Upstate Business Journal. That deal predates Round1's public confirmation by more than a year, effectively splitting the massive anchor box between entertainment and value fashion.
Primark's push into Greenville fits a broader pattern for the chain. The retailer operated roughly 450 stores across 17 countries in 2025 and set a corporate goal of reaching 60 U.S. locations by the end of 2026, per Diario Retail. Former department store footprints like this one have become a favorite target for the chain's American expansion.
A Space That's Sat Empty Since 2020
The Sears at Haywood Mall closed in April 2020, ending 40 years of operation after parent company Transformco announced the shutdown that February, according to Upstate Business Journal. It had been one of the mall's original anchor stores. The building didn't just sit quietly during its vacancy, either — in June 2025, Greenville City Fire crews responded to a fire on the structure's exterior that generated heavy smoke but caused no injuries and didn't interrupt the rest of the mall's operations, per the Hindustan Times.
Haywood Mall itself is no small property. Opened on July 30, 1980, and managed by Simon Property Group, it's South Carolina's largest mall, spanning about 1.24 million square feet at the intersection of I-385 and Haywood Road. The Sears redevelopment isn't happening in isolation, either — mall management added five new retail stores and a restaurant in spring 2026, part of what The Post and Courier describes as ongoing leasing momentum ahead of the anchor wing's overhaul.
Part of a Bigger Mall Makeover Trend
Round1 has made a habit of moving into dead Sears boxes across the country. The chain leased a 65,000-square-foot former Sears at Chandler Fashion Center in Arizona in 2024 and has also expanded into Potomac Mills in Virginia this year, according to Hoodline's earlier coverage. It reflects a wider commercial real estate shift in which regional malls nationwide are swapping dark department store anchors for active entertainment options that keep shoppers on-site longer.
Exact opening dates for both Round1 and Primark have not been announced, and it remains unclear how traffic and parking around the former Sears wing will be managed during construction. For now, Haywood Mall shoppers can expect to watch two very different retail concepts take shape side by side in a building that spent more than five years standing empty.
