Does Greenville need an outlet mall

[Cityplanner]

“Need” is subjective, but I was surprised to see that the outlets in Gaffney are down to about 50% occupancy- I’d guess due to Charlotte having both Concord Mills and a second outlet mall near the airport, and Asheville also having an outlet mall.  (Or are there other reasons that the Gaffney outlets are going downhill?)

Could Greenville support an outlet mall and, if so, where would it go?

Good highway access always is important, but the new one in Charlotte is hidden away off I-485.

Or do the Gaffney and Commerce, Georgia outlet malls dominate the market?

[vicupstate]

Given what is happening with online shopping and the Covid impact, I can't imagine anyone building a wholly new shopping center of over 100k SF in too many places.  

[Cityplanner]

Agreed, in the immediate future, yes, there won't be any new shopping centers built unless it's a TJ Maxx and a Dollar Tree (which I have no use for).

But in the longer term, it looks like the Gaffney outlets are heading towards deadmalls.com, and Greenville continues to grow.  Off-price shopping is growing.  So maybe at some point?

I don't care for outlet malls, so this is more a question out of curiosity.

[cabelagent]

3 hours ago, Cityplanner said:

Agreed, in the immediate future, yes, there won't be any new shopping centers built unless it's a TJ Maxx and a Dollar Tree (which I have no use for).

But in the longer term, it looks like the Gaffney outlets are heading towards deadmalls.com, and Greenville continues to grow.  Off-price shopping is growing.  So maybe at some point?

I don't care for outlet malls, so this is more a question out of curiosity.

If Southern Connector was not a toll road...an outlet mall could be an attractive location...or GSP vicinity.  Any location would be years away...

[motonenterprises]

Many people are shopping online these days. I expect that trend to continue to grow.