Northlake Mall

[PuppiesandKittens]

With Eastridge Mall in Gastonia now down to 2 anchors and few stores that middle-class families would shop in, will Northlake benefit?

[LKN704]

Personally, I don't really get the stigma that NL carries.

It's a beautiful mall (architecturally speaking) and I love the Charlotte and NC murals they have hanging from the ceiling. It's clean and bright, and I've never once felt unsafe there and I do like the surrounding area near the mall. I love REI and I personally think that the Super Target across the street is by far the nicest and most well-stocked in all of Charlotte. There are a lot of other malls I've been too that market themselves as "premium" or "upscale" that are way more seedier than NL.

That said, I really have no reason to visit NL or any other mall in Charlotte. The H&M in NL sucks and is extremely basic and usually doesn't carry H&M's Divided collection. I don't shop at Belk/Dillard's/Macy's or any of the other stores there. I used to go to Pac Sun in college but I'm a bit old for that (fashion wise) now.

However, I can really say the same thing about SouthPark. I only go there for Nordstrom, the Microsoft store, Crate and Barrel, H&M (which has a bigger, more upscale men's section that NL), and to rack up free samples at Lush. I used to go to American Apparel but they are long gone. Urban Outfitters used to be nice but it is extremely overpriced for what it is.

It's easier for me to do all of my shopping online, plus I have access to stores that we don't have here in Charlotte. That said, if NL or SouthPark ever were to get a Zara, Topman, or Uniqlo, I would frequent the mall on a regular basis.

[SgtCampsalot]

Many apartments around the Northlake area have 1BRs going for ~$1100, and 2BRs going for ~$1300.

[CLT2014]

Michael Kors plans to close about 15% of their stores worldwide (100 - 125 stores). Actual locations haven't been announced. In Charlotte they have two standard stores at SouthPark and Northlake Mall (which I would guess is most vulnerable in this area). There are outlet locations at Concord Mills and Charlotte Premium. 

In Quarter 1, Michael Kors saw sales decline -11.2% and the same store sales metric showed a decline of -14.1%. 

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2017/06/01/michael-kors-announces-itll-be-cutting-up-to.html

Edited June 1, 2017 by CLT2014

[rancenc]

On 2/19/2016 at 1:48 PM, rancenc said:

Great news concerning Northlake Mall!!

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/development/article61311827.html

Does anyone know the status of this expansion which was announced almost 2 years ago?  

[kermit]

28 minutes ago, rancenc said:

Does anyone know the status of this expansion which was announced almost 2 years ago?  

Gobbled up by the 'retail apocalypse'?

[KJHburg]

No I think it is going to happen as commercial realtors are marketing land nearby to this expansion and they name out the tenants.  Main Event a bowling center with bar etc, Nordstrom Rack,  LL Bean, Bed Bath and Beyond,  LA Fitness and about 5 restaurant spots.  Says coming in 2018. 

[TheOneRJ]

But still, no renderings or announced tenants is fishy. 

[kickazzz2000]

Main Event is awesome

[LKN704]

How many stores have closed at NL since the mall opened? (I'm not talking about stores that went into bankruptcy, like Borders, but rather stores that simply left...)

I know Anthropologie, Gap, and Fossil have all left. 

I was there today for the first time in a while and I was surprised to see Brooks Brothers and Banana Republic still there-I find it odd that the mall could support a Banana Republic but not a Gap. 

Edited December 25, 2017 by LKN704

[TheOneRJ]

On 12/22/2017 at 11:17 PM, LKN704 said:

How many stores have closed at NL since the mall opened? (I'm not talking about stores that went into bankruptcy, like Borders, but rather stores that simply left...)

I know Anthropologie, Gap, and Fossil have all left. 

I was there today for the first time and I was surprised to see Brooks Brothers and Banana Republic still there-I find it odd that the mall could support a Banana Republic but not a Gap. 

J. Crew closed in 2015. 

[rancenc]

Not surprised here....unless there is a radical departure from online shopping, the traditional brick and mortar side is going to continue to shrink..

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/whats-in-store/article203063799.html

[TheOneRJ]

On 3/3/2018 at 7:15 AM, rancenc said:

Not surprised here....unless there is a radical departure from online shopping, the traditional brick and mortar side is going to continue to shrink..

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/whats-in-store/article203063799.html

SouthPark says otherwise. Only struggling malls use the online shopping excuse. 

[Temeteron]

2 hours ago, TheOneRJ said:

SouthPark says otherwise. Only struggling malls use the online shopping excuse. 

I beg to differ.  Have you walked around South Park lately? A lot of the stores have closed and have been replaced by Old Navy and temporary stores.  South Park is not like it used to be.  Yes it’s still more exclusive and a much bigger destination than other shopping spots around the city, but considering how much we’ve grown in population, our options have gotten smaller in variety vs. 5-7 years ago as far as brick & mortar specialty shops. 

Edited March 6, 2018 by Temeteron

[TheOneRJ]

On 3/6/2018 at 1:02 PM, Temeteron said:

I beg to differ.  Have you walked around South Park lately? A lot of the stores have closed and have been replaced by Old Navy and temporary stores.  South Park is not like it used to be.  Yes it’s still more exclusive and a much bigger destination than other shopping spots around the city, but considering how much we’ve grown in population, our options have gotten smaller in variety vs. 5-7 years ago as far as brick & mortar specialty shops. 

I definitely agree that SouthPark has lost a lot of variety, but that isn’t due to the retail climate, but moreso because of the mall’s owner. 

[15895]

46 minutes ago, TheOneRJ said:

I definitely agree that SouthPark has lost a lot of variety, but that isn’t due to the retail climate, but moreso because of the mall’s owner. 

How so? (I’m not doubting, I’d really be interested to know why you say that)

[TheOneRJ]

18 hours ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

How so? (I’m not doubting, I’d really be interested to know why you say that)

The tenants they have chosen to replace bankrupt stores that have been forced to close have been very lackluster. 

[Temeteron]

5 hours ago, TheOneRJ said:

The tenants they have chosen to replace bankrupt stores that have been forced to close have been very lackluster. 

Hermes,  Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Pottery Barn Kids, Puma, Mont Blanc, Porsche Design have all closed in the past year.  This isn't including the stores that closed due to bankruptcy.  A lot of stores including Express, Victoria's Secret, Tumi, and Lacoste have downsized.   The only store I can think of that expanded was Lululemon. There's no more excitement like there used to be.  I remember 10-15 years ago when they were announcing big names like Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Neiman, Kate Spade, etc it was huge.  And that was back when our population was much smaller.  There hasn't been a big name to come to South Park in quite some time.  

[CLT2014]

20 hours ago, Temeteron said:

Hermes,  Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Pottery Barn Kids, Puma, Mont Blanc, Porsche Design have all closed in the past year.  This isn't including the stores that closed due to bankruptcy.  A lot of stores including Express, Victoria's Secret, Tumi, and Lacoste have downsized.   The only store I can think of that expanded was Lululemon. There's no more excitement like there used to be.  I remember 10-15 years ago when they were announcing big names like Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Neiman, Kate Spade, etc it was huge.  And that was back when our population was much smaller.  There hasn't been a big name to come to South Park in quite some time.  

The population growth has been Gen X and millennial's though, co-horts of people far less into luxury retail than status conscious baby boomers. In many cities, luxury retail sales would be on a downward trend if it wasn't for tourism, especially international tourism, as American preference shifts from clothing to experiences / fine dining / electronics. People today just don't care as much that you have a $50,000 Hermes purse as they did in 2002. Pre-recession Charlotte... yeah a $50,000 purse was a status symbol. Today.... I just don't see people caring that much unless you are 65 years old (and on the way out). 

If you go walk around Miami or Beverly Hills, you'll notice over half the people in the most high end retailers are tourists, often from other countries. In many foreign countries, coming home with a Channel purse is a HUGE status symbol and highly valued by the culture. Charlotte doesn't have the tourism draw that props up the organic decline in American shopping preferences to make up for it. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevendennis/2017/03/07/luxury-retail-hits-the-wall/#523ff45b401e

Edited March 10, 2018 by CLT2014

[TheOneRJ]

15 hours ago, Temeteron said:

Hermes,  Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Pottery Barn Kids, Puma, Mont Blanc, Porsche Design have all closed in the past year.  This isn't including the stores that closed due to bankruptcy.  A lot of stores including Express, Victoria's Secret, Tumi, and Lacoste have downsized.   The only store I can think of that expanded was Lululemon. There's no more excitement like there used to be.  I remember 10-15 years ago when they were announcing big names like Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Neiman, Kate Spade, etc it was huge.  And that was back when our population was much smaller.  There hasn't been a big name to come to South Park in quite some time.  

Abercrombie & Fitch has not closed, and majority of the others you mentioned closed well over a year ago. The mall is at capacity, those stores were announced because an entirely new wing was added onto the mall. Obviously a Gucci isn’t going to be interested in a space in the Belk wing. 

Edited March 10, 2018 by TheOneRJ

[AuLukey]

Well, speaking of comparing Northlake to Southpark... went to SP last weekend during the CIAA tournament. Was surprised by the demographics inside. It looked a lot more like Eastland IMO. Sephora was blasting (and I mean BLASTING) hip hop music with a DJ and a large crowd built up in and outside of it. You should’ve seen the look on the older, whiter, more ummm “distinguished” people walking by... Deer. In. Headlights.

That being said, there are cultures in Charlotte that still value “high end” clothing and accessories, and use them as status symbols. It’s more prominent in Atlanta, but it does exist in Charlotte as well, and it definitely showed last weekend.

[15895]

15 hours ago, CLT2014 said:

The population growth has been Gen X and millennial's though, co-horts of people far less into luxury retail than status conscious baby boomers. In many cities, luxury retail sales would be on a downward trend if it wasn't for tourism, especially international tourism, as American preference shifts from clothing to experiences / fine dining / electronics. People today just don't care as much that you have a $50,000 Hermes purse as they did in 2002. Pre-recession Charlotte... yeah a $50,000 purse was a status symbol. Today.... I just don't see people carrying that much unless you are 65 years old (and on the way out). 

If you go walk around Miami or Beverly Hills, you'll notice over half the people in the most high end retailers are tourists, often from other countries. In many foreign countries, coming home with a Channel purse is a HUGE status symbol and highly valued by the culture. Charlotte doesn't have the tourism draw that props up the organic decline in American shopping preferences to make up for it. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevendennis/2017/03/07/luxury-retail-hits-the-wall/#523ff45b401e

 

Status symbols for young adults these days are technology. Apple watches, how many smart devices you have, do you have an electric car, what’s your latest smart phone, what amenities does your apartment complex/tower have.

 

My friends will wear free t-shirts from a promotional event yet they have custom Tesla’s, every light in their house is “smart,” etc,

 

Malls need to change. They are still viable. But they need to reflect trends. Stores, They need their ecommerce and physical locations to be complimentary. Not competing. For some companies who’s balance sheets were a little debt heavy from prior acquisitions and such, they’ll spiral down as they can’t adapt to a changing environment 

 

[Temeteron]

On 3/10/2018 at 11:09 AM, AirNostrumMAD said:

 

Status symbols for young adults these days are technology. Apple watches, how many smart devices you have, do you have an electric car, what’s your latest smart phone, what amenities does your apartment complex/tower have.

 

My friends will wear free t-shirts from a promotional event yet they have custom Tesla’s, every light in their house is “smart,” etc,

 

Malls need to change. They are still viable. But they need to reflect trends. Stores, They need their ecommerce and physical locations to be complimentary. Not competing. For some companies who’s balance sheets were a little debt heavy from prior acquisitions and such, they’ll spiral down as they can’t adapt to a changing environment 

 

Seems like you're right but there are some communities such as the Italian, Russian, French, Greek and other European populations that still value nice quality high end clothing, shoes and jewelry.  It's sad that most Americans especially in the South don't.  I agree that clothing is disposable and experiences such as traveling last a lifetime but there's something magical about seeing people well dressed with tailored Italian suits and nice shoes that you don't see too often.  #BringFashionBack 

[nakers2]

On 3/20/2018 at 4:07 PM, Temeteron said:

Seems like you're right but there are some communities such as the Italian, Russian, French, Greek and other European populations that still value nice quality high end clothing, shoes and jewelry.  It's sad that most Americans especially in the South don't.  I agree that clothing is disposable and experiences such as traveling last a lifetime but there's something magical about seeing people well dressed with tailored Italian suits and nice shoes that you don't see too often.  #BringFashionBack 

I agree with this. And you don't even need to break the bank to dress well. If you can't afford Armani, there are other means of obtaining a stylish wardrobe. I can't tell you how much it pisses me off when people ask "why are you wearing a blazer bro? Where did you come from/where are you headed where you need a blazer?" Or even worse, when they ask why you're wearing "business clothes" or a "suit" when I'm literally wearing khakis and a t-shirt with a blazer on top. 

[rancenc]

Capital improvements at the Harris Corners complex across the freeway from Northlake Mall

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/10/16/capital-investment-planned-at-north-charlotte.html