WPG Sells Springfield Shopping Center in Historic Deal

October 17, 2025

This is the largest open-air retail transaction the area has seen to date.

Washington Prime Group has sold White Oaks Plaza, a 320,933-square-foot retail center in Springfield, Ill., to The R.H. Johnson Co. The property changed hands for $49.9 million, The State Journal-Register reported. The deal, facilitated by Cushman & Wakefield, represents the area’s largest open-air retail deal to date.

White Oaks Plaza features more than 50 retailers with shopping and dining options. The R.H. Johnson Co. has this retail center listed in the top 12 percent of shopping centers in the state.

Khol’s + Sephora, TJMaxx, HomeGoods and Sierra are the plaza’s anchor tenants, with other national retailers such as Petco, Olive Garden and Sketchers part of the roster. At the start of the year, The Buckle Inc., a denim specialty retailer that houses more than 200 brands, relocated from its store in the nearby White Oak Mall to the plaza to offer its visitors a more immersive experience.

Located at 3003 S. Veterans Parkway, the shopping center is part of Springfield’s dense retail corridor that also includes Southwest Plaza, Parkway Pointe and The Gables, among others. The property serves an estimated population of nearly 51,000 within a 3-mile radius, with an estimated average household income of more than $119,000.

Cushman & Wakefield’s Retail Investment Advisors Evan Halkias, Mark Gilbert, Zander Fried and David Matheis negotiated on behalf of the seller. The R.H. Johnson Co. was represented by an in-house team.

WPG retail continues to sell

The sale of White Oaks Plaza is the latest deal involving a WPG asset. When the company placed Polaris Fashion Mall on the market, half of its portfolio had already been sold. O’Connor Capital Partners acquired Polaris in late July.

Also in July, CBL Properties purchased four enclosed retail malls from WPG for $179 million, adding 2.2 million square feet to its retail footprint. Almost a month later, Second Horizon Capital bought a 950,000-square-foot shopping center in Orange Park, Fla. The property was 95 percent leased at the time of sale, anchor tenants including AMC Theaters, Dillard’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods and more.