Jump to content

Pleasant Ridge Town Center

mcheiss

By mcheiss
in Little Rock Metropolitan Area

Recommended Posts


  • Replies 518
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Cru Jones Whistle-Stop

Cru Jones

Posted
Posted

I drove by Pleasant Ridge tonight with my wife and noticed that there was a very nice back-lit Parisian Sign on one of the large buildings in the complex. It was sounding like Parisian was going to be replaced with Belk according to some reports, so I wasn't sure if this was a sign that's been up for a few weeks and just hasn't been taken down yet, or if Parisian really is moving forward in this project. <keeping fingers crossed for Parisian!>

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mcheiss Metropolitan Area

mcheiss

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I drove by Pleasant Ridge tonight with my wife and noticed that there was a very nice back-lit Parisian Sign on one of the large buildings in the complex. It was sounding like Parisian was going to be replaced with Belk according to some reports, so I wasn't sure if this was a sign that's been up for a few weeks and just hasn't been taken down yet, or if Parisian really is moving forward in this project. <keeping fingers crossed for Parisian!>

Sorry, but Parisian is going away. I'm pretty sure Belk is going to incorporate these existing stores into Belk's, but I'm not sure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Aporkalypse City

Aporkalypse

Posted
Posted

They will all change the 3rd quarter of 2007.

Yup. I found out this weekend the store will open as a Saks Parisian (the Parisian name is already on the signage and looks like the store's being finished out) but switch to a Belk's in mid-'07.

This project really is pretty attractive, I have to admit. I got a pretty good peek at it this weekend.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mcheiss Metropolitan Area

mcheiss

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Welcome dookmaster to the Little Rock Forum.

I can certainly say that the Belk in Rogers doesn't get as much attraction as the Dillards or JC Penny. Belk to me seems like another typical department store, while Parisian is an upscale botique under the name Saks, which is an attraction. Sales won't be as high in Belk as Parisian is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
theman Hamlet

theman

Posted
Posted

I know that department stores are getting away from multiple brands, but it may help Belk to keep the Parisian name in order keep potential customers thinking they are going into a high end store. When the name changes to Belk and even if they keep the same merchandise, people are still going to think they are going to a competitor of Kohl's instead of a competitor of Dillard's.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Architect Town

Architect

Posted
Posted

I know that department stores are getting away from multiple brands, but it may help Belk to keep the Parisian name in order keep potential customers thinking they are going into a high end store. When the name changes to Belk and even if they keep the same merchandise, people are still going to think they are going to a competitor of Kohl's instead of a competitor of Dillard's.

I agree. I think this is definetely an unfortunate/negative event with respect to the perception of Pleasant Ridge.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Aporkalypse City

Aporkalypse

Posted
Posted

I know that department stores are getting away from multiple brands, but it may help Belk to keep the Parisian name in order keep potential customers thinking they are going into a high end store. When the name changes to Belk and even if they keep the same merchandise, people are still going to think they are going to a competitor of Kohl's instead of a competitor of Dillard's.

From some of the other boards I've gathered that Belk's is a pretty heterogenous chain with the stores in nicer areas selling completely different merchandise than the lower tier stores.

Even in the DFW metro there is an extremely nice Belk's in McKinney and one in Greenville 30-40 miles away that looks like a Goody's.

Still, I agree that by keeping the name they might preserve a better reputation for these stores but apparently the current plan is to change them to Belk's. I wouldn't be surprised if Saks made this part of the agreement as it is trying hard to prevent brand dilution of the Saks name.

When Dillard's bought the Maison Blanche chain in Louisiana they generally kept their former names.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
theman Hamlet

theman

Posted
Posted

From some of the other boards I've gathered that Belk's is a pretty heterogenous chain with the stores in nicer areas selling completely different merchandise than the lower tier stores.

Even in the DFW metro there is an extremely nice Belk's in McKinney and one in Greenville 30-40 miles away that looks like a Goody's.

Still, I agree that by keeping the name they might preserve a better reputation for these stores but apparently the current plan is to change them to Belk's. I wouldn't be surprised if Saks made this part of the agreement as it is trying hard to prevent brand dilution of the Saks name.

When Dillard's bought the Maison Blanche chain in Louisiana they generally kept their former names.

Yeah. I heard that their Charlotte flagship store is really nice. I've only been in the Belk's in Hot Springs and I was not impressed. Like I said before it reminded me of Kohl's. That's not a bad thing, but Pleasant Ridge is suppose to be more upscale.

Maybe Belks, with the purchase of Parisians, has a plan to go more upscale. It seems to be working for Dillard's. That's the niche in the department store market that seems to be working pretty well now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Aporkalypse City

Aporkalypse

Posted
Posted

Yeah. I heard that their Charlotte flagship store is really nice. I've only been in the Belk's in Hot Springs and I was not impressed. Like I said before it reminded me of Kohl's. That's not a bad thing, but Pleasant Ridge is suppose to be more upscale.

Maybe Belks, with the purchase of Parisians, has a plan to go more upscale. It seems to be working for Dillard's. That's the niche in the department store market that seems to be working pretty well now.

There's an article in the new Ark Business that interviewed Schickel. Parisian has a 15-year lease with Schickel and that's for it to operate as a Parisian store. He said basically that if someone wants to change it they would have to negotiate. Belk's didn't respond but hasn't made any decision that the new stores would become Belk's but the previously puchased Proffit's and McRae's were converted to Belk's.

The only new tenants mentioned I hadn't remembered seeing before were Indigo Home and Pacific Rim Imports.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mcheiss Metropolitan Area

mcheiss

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I thought I'd read that as well. If so, apparently they will have to renegotiate a lease with Schickel. Still, it's not like he can afford to lose his anchor.

Probably. The leases are usually iron-clad, regardless of buyouts. I'm sure a new lease will be negotiated and the store will be converted to a Belk by the end of next year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Aporkalypse City

Aporkalypse

Posted
Posted

I went to the Belk's in McKinney last weekend, which is in an upscale shopping center in a nice Dallas suburb. I have to say, it's just a Kohl's with better brands (Polo, Clinique, etc). While I would be ten times more likely to shop there than I would be at a real Saks because I like the brands and the prices are great, it's a discount store. It's not what the Pleasant Ridge development was envisioning as an anchor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
arkansas_buff Whistle-Stop

arkansas_buff

Posted
Posted

According to the Parisians manager, the name will change to Belks in 2007. The offerings will not change and it will be a high-end Belks. He likened it to the Charlotte store, minus the wine cellar.

Opening day is November 1. They are on UALR campus taking applications.

Thanks for the update. We have a Belk's in Paragould, which used to be located downtown. When it was there it was nothing like the national chain. It was more like a locally owned department store with very few of the big names in clothing. Once they moved to the west end of town (the shopping/entertainment area), they totally changed their look and lineup. It's just like a Dillards or Macy's now. Best thing we have in Paragould IMO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Aporkalypse City

Aporkalypse

Posted
Posted

According to the Parisians manager, the name will change to Belks in 2007. The offerings will not change and it will be a high-end Belks. He likened it to the Charlotte store, minus the wine cellar.

Opening day is November 1. They are on UALR campus taking applications.

The one I went to in McKinney was in a very wealthy area and while the brands were upscale, it's still a discount store. I like it and will shop there but it's not going to be a high dollar anchor. It might hurt Dillard's business, though. Brands like Polo and Clinique are markedly cheaper at Belk's.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Aporkalypse City

Aporkalypse

Posted
Posted

I was home for the weekend and got a look around the Pleasant Ridge site which was open to traffic but far from completion aside from the Saks Parisian, which already had lights and glass and interior work was going on. I didn't see any names on the other stores and many were lacking glass. Much of it had not been paved though the structures were finished. It really is an attractive development. My wife and I were quite impressed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.