The Selma Mall’s biggest store, Belk, recently signed a new lease at the shopping center.

“We’re extremely pleased that we’re going to be in this market for the foreseeable future,” said Daniel Scoggins, store manager. “We’re committed to serving Selma and being a department store that Dallas County can be proud of.”

After the closing of J.C. Penney in 2014 and Goody’s earlier this year, some people have been wondering about the fate of the Selma Mall and its retailers.

“I’d say at least every week we get asked ‘when are y’all closing or are you closing,’” Scoggins said.

Scoggins would not go into the details of the lease, but he hopes the renewal will nip the rumors of the store and mall closing in the bud.

“Belk is committed to the Selma market. Right now we would finish the spring season in top 20 in profitability in our entire division, which is very exciting,” Scoggins said.

Scoggins said Belk’s western division consists of about 100 stores, which includes Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee.

“We’ve been one of the more profitable stores in the division, which has obviously led to our success,” Scoggins said. “We haven’t had a lot of turnover, which has helped. We’ve still got some associates that have been here since McRae’s, and I think that has partly been helping our loyal customers stick around.”

The store was known as McRae’s from 1996 until about six years ago when Belk bought the chain of department stores, according to Scoggins.

Scoggins said one of the main factors that went into renewing the store’s lease at the Selma Mall was profitability.

“For years and years this has been one of our more profitable stores, so we just wanted to encourage people to keep shopping with Selma,” Scoggins said.

Scoggins did not release the term of the lease, but he did say he foresees Belk staying in Selma as long as the store continues to be successful.

“Sales, they go up and down, but as long as we remain profitable there won’t be any decision about us leaving the market obviously,” Scoggins said.

Scoggins said the store also plans to launch several new brands in the coming months, including Under Armour shoes and Brahmin handbags.

“We’ve got big name brands that are finally coming to Selma, but the only way we’re able to get those is by showing the demand is here,” Scoggins said. “The way we’re getting it is customers are coming in and ordering them from our store, and that is showing that people in Selma want those brands. That is encouraging to see them trying some of our higher end brands in Selma, and we’re hoping that trend continues.”

Sheryl Smedley, executive director for the Selma and Dallas County Chamber of Commerce, said Belk renewing its lease is huge news for Selma and Dallas County.

“It is great that they renewed their lease because of the tax base,” Smedley said. “They contribute a lot to our community by being here, and what they contribute makes a difference throughout our community.”

Smedley hopes having a department store like Belk as an anchor will encourage other retailers to invest in Selma and Dallas County as well as for shoppers to buy in Selma instead of traveling to Montgomery or Prattville.

“I just encourage the people to continue to shop local and support the local business community,” Smedley said. “They are invested in our community, and we need to patronize them and give back.”