Hawthorn Mall

Hawthorn Mall is a 1,300,000 square foot super-regional mall in Vernon Hills, Illinois, operated by Brookfield Properties Retail. Classified as an A asset, the property has served the northern Chicago suburbs since opening in 1973 and is currently undergoing significant redevelopment to incorporate residential and mixed-use components alongside its retail core.

Vernon Hills sits in Lake County, positioned between the dense suburban corridors of Libertyville to the north, Buffalo Grove to the south, and Gurnee to the east. The trade area draws from a broad swath of northern Illinois communities where household incomes run well above national averages and population density supports consistent retail demand across multiple categories. Lake County’s suburban build-out concentrates a shopper base of working professionals and families with strong discretionary budgets and limited need to travel into the Chicago metro for everyday and mid-market retail. Hawthorn Mall functions as the primary enclosed shopping destination for this corridor, pulling from communities that lack comparable regional mall infrastructure at the same scale.

The anchor structure is built around JCPenney and Macy’s, covering mid-market and broad department store demand within a single property. That pairing frames a tenant environment oriented toward family apparel, accessories, beauty, and home goods. Specialty retailers filling the inline space serve a shopper who visits with clear purchase intent across fashion, personal care, and services, with enough frequency to support a wide range of national brands. The mixed-use redevelopment underway adds a residential population that will increase on-property foot traffic on a day-to-day basis, shifting the property’s demand profile beyond traditional weekend and seasonal peaks.

For brands evaluating the northern Chicago suburbs, Hawthorn Mall offers access to a Lake County consumer base that is underserved relative to its income and population profile. The redevelopment positions the property for a longer demand runway than a static enclosed mall would carry on its own, with the addition of residential density creating a built-in repeat visitor pool. Brands in mid-market and premium apparel, beauty, and services are well suited to the existing anchor context and shopper profile. The ongoing transformation also creates conditions for brands willing to enter during a redevelopment cycle, where positioning early within an evolving mixed-use environment can establish presence ahead of increased foot traffic. Brands seeking durable suburban coverage north of Chicago will find Hawthorn Mall a credible and strategically positioned entry point.