Shopper's Find Store Replaces Lord & Taylor At Natick Mall

NATICK, MA — A new temporary department store backed by a financial services holding company has taken over the former Lord & Taylor space at the Natick Mall — although shoppers may not notice much of a difference between the two stores apart from the name.

The Natick Shopper's Find store is one of two in U.S. along with one at the Willowbrook Mall in New Jersey. The stores sell typical department store fare — everything from rugs and furniture to clothes and jewelry — at discounted prices.

Shopper's Find is a brand created by Illinois-based Hilco Global, a financial services company that has managed bankruptcies for other mall-based retailers, including Sharper Image and Toys R Us. The stores will operate in former Lord & Taylor stores across the country. The Lord & Taylor chain, founded in 1826, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Aug. 2.

At the end of August, the subsidiary Hilco Merchant Resources and the firm Gordon Brothers were chosen to help liquidate Lord & Taylor's 38 stores across the U.S. Hilco subsidiary Hilco Global Retail Group is operating the Shopper's Find stores.

"Hilco Global is a diversified financial services holding company with several areas of expertise," Hilco executive vice president Gary C. Epstein said in a recent email. "We have an extensive retail group that manages, operates, invests in, monetizes, consults with retailers and retail brands."

The Natick Shopper's Find store is only scheduled to be open until July 1, according to the mall owner, Brookfield Properties.

The Natick Mall Lord & Taylor closure was announced just before Neiman Marcus said it would close its Natick store. Neiman Marcus is still open, however, and a company spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment about when or if the store might eventually close.