Replacement Already Lined Up for Bridgehampton Kmart

As Kmart packs its boxes from its last full-sized store, a former rival is getting ready to move in.

The Kmart at Bridgehampton Commons is set to be replaced by a Target, the first one east of Riverhead, the Long Island Business News reported. The big-box retailer acquired the lease from Kmart’s parent company years ago in anticipation of the subsidiary’s exit from the Hamptons.

Target is due to take over at 2044 Montauk Highway after the Kmart closes on Sunday, Oct. 20. The space in Kimco Realty’s shopping center spans nearly 90,000 square feet; Target will be a co-anchor of the 305,000-square-foot retail hub, which counts TJ Maxx, Staples, Barnes & Noble, Ulta, Walgreens and Gap among its tenants.

A spokesperson for Kimco declined to comment, while a spokesperson for Target had no information about new stores to share. Should it successfully navigate the permitting process, the store is expected to open in 2026.

Target counts nearly 2,000 stores in its portfolio in the United States, including 20 on Long Island. The company posted a net income of $4.13 billion last year and continues to expand, announcing the opening of nine stores this month alone.

It’s unclear how much Target paid to assume the Kmart lease. Kmart has been at Bridgehampton Commons for 25 years, having paid $7 million to assume the lease from Caldor in 1999.

The Bridgehampton Kmart is the discount retailer’s last full-sized store in the United States. The final store of any size will be a small one in Miami, though several still operate in territories such as Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Price-conscious retailers are seldom found on the East End. Kmart was an anomaly, as soon Target will be.

— Holden Walter-Warner