Target To Open In Former UES Barnes & Noble Space: Report

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Target will continue its expansion on the Upper East Side by opening a new store in the East 86th Street retail space recently vacated by Barnes & Noble, according to reports.

Target recently secured a 20-year lease for the 55,614-square-foot East 86th Street and Lexington Avenue location, real estate publication Commercial Observer first reported. The retail giant also plans to open a new store on the Upper West Side.

The Upper East Side's first Target opened in October on Third Avenue between East 70th and 69th streets. At 23,000 square feet, the "small-format" store is about half the size of the planned East 86th Street location.

Barnes & Noble announced this week that the company was moving on from the East 86th Street retail space because it is "too large, and too expensive" for the bookstore's needs.

Barnes & Noble isn't pulling out of the Upper East Side entirely, as the company is searching for a new location in the neighborhood, a company spokesperson said.

"We have truly enjoyed serving our customers from this location for the past 12 years and appreciate their loyalty and support. We thank also the wonderful booksellers of the Upper East Side," a Barnes & Noble spokesperson said in a statement. "It is always sad to close a store but we expect to return to the Upper East Side with a new bookstore before too long, and we are in active pursuit of a new site."

Read the full Commercial Observer report here.