Charleston Town Center general manager Tom Bird announced he will retire on Sept. 29 following 17 years of heading the mall's operations, according to a news release.
Forest City Realty Trust, which co-owns and manages the mall, will announce Bird's replacement "in the near future," the release said.
The Cleveland, Ohio-based Forest City, an original owner of the Town Center since it opened in 1983, is planning to sell its ownership stake in the mall to the Australia-based firm Queensland Investment Corp. QIC already is a part-owner of the mall after entering into a partnership with Forest City for the Town Center and several other regional malls.
The Town Center has weathered closings like other shopping centers across the country in recent years, most notably the Sears anchor store.
In a 2015 interview, Bird said these closing announcements are simply a part of the job.
"The reality of it is, you are always turning stores," Bird said at the time. "If you never changed a store, you'd never get a new concept."
The release said Bird, a Michigan native with 35 years of industry experience, takes pride in the $20 million in interior and exterior renovations for the mall since 2011. It added that Bird "looks forward to spending more time with his family and pursuing his passion for golf" and plans to remain in Charleston with his wife, Melanie. They have two children who currently are attending college in West Virginia.