Arundel Mills marked its 25th anniversary this week with the announcement of two new stores — a dominant online retailer and a familiar name from decades ago mounting a comeback.

Toys R Us, the onetime mega toy retailer, is opening a flagship location in Arundel Mills later this week, said Gene Condon, general manager of the mall.

And sometime in early 2026, Wayfair, the online furniture giant, plans to open an outlet store in the Hanover shopping center, Condon said. That will mark the e-commerce fixture’s first physical store in Maryland, and one of just a few nationwide.

Toys R Us reemerged from bankruptcy in 2019 and has been slowly growing a physical footprint since. Some of that footprint has been in Macy’s stores or in seasonal stores (like Spirit Halloween) — and now it’s in a growing number of flagship stores that are meant to be open year-round.

In October, the toy company announced seven other flagship stores, in addition to the coming one at Arundel Mills, and 20 seasonal stores all across the country.

Wayfair has seven outlet stores in the United States and one in Canada, according to its website. The company’s expansion into physical spaces began just recently and seems to have been a success for the retailer. According to Wayfair, sales in Illinois, where a large-format store opened in 2024, grew 15% compared to sales in the U.S. overall.

Despite the enduring popularity of online shopping, Condon said Arundel Mills has remained a popular destination that’s busy year-round, not just during the holidays. The mall has a more airy feel than some older counterparts, like Annapolis Mall and The Mall in Columbia, and its space includes the Live! Casino Hotel Maryland.

“The consumer wants to touch things. They want to look at things. They want to feel things, and they want to be sold things. It’s much easier to do that in a ... brick-and-mortar environment,” Condon said. “It’s a whole experience.”

Condon acknowledged that Arundel Mills has “more real estate than the industry supports,” but he said most retail spots are full and retailers “want to be here.”

“We’re always going to have some fractional vacancy,” Condon said, but “if we have, you know, five spots that are dark, it’s nothing to worry about.

At a ceremonial reception marking the mall’s 25th birthday, local officials called Arundel Mills an anchor for the region and an economic driver for the state’s economy.

“Arundel Mills has been a place of discovery, and it’s not just a shopping center, it’s a destination where people come to connect, to celebrate and to experience something memorable,” said Kristen Pironis, chief executive officer of Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County.

Some 7.2 million people came to Anne Arundel County in 2024, with about 15% spending time at Arundel Mills, either in the mall or at the casino.

Anne Arundel County Councilman Pete Smith, whose district includes Arundel Mills, said he can get to the mall from his home in five minutes. He called the mall a great example of a business that has adapted as consumer trends and preferences have changed.

“If you don’t evolve, you go away,” Smith said.

Arundel Mills supports about 10,000 jobs, directly or indirectly, Pironis said, accounting for about a third of all hospitality jobs in Anne Arundel County.

The mall, which has about 1.8 million square feet of retail and entertainment space, holds more than 240 retailers and 60 dining options. Mall officials said it generates about $1 million every day in tax revenue for the county and state.

Looking ahead, Condon said he’s excited by a rewards program from Simon Property Group, which owns the mall. The Simon+ program is similar to memberships or rewards programs that individual retailers offer, but it’s applied to the entire mall, Condon said.

“You get points no matter where you shop,” he said.

And even further ahead?

“The center’s not complete,” Condon said. “We’re always looking for opportunities to reinvigorate the shopping center.”