SouthPark Mall

[Kenneth Disraili-Jean]

Well in the Southeastern United Sates this is how it looks so far regarding upscale/luxury retail oriented malls, whether they be enclosed, open, or a lifestyle center configuration:

Miami:

The Bal Harbour Shops

The Village At Merrick Park

Aventura Mall

Town Center At Boca Raton

The Gardens Mall At Palm Beach

(Even though this is not a configuration as noted above, this area certainly meets the criteria as being upscale/luxury) Worth Avenue in Palm Beach

Atlanta:

Lenox Square

Phipps Plaza

Buckhead-Atlanta ( opening around fall 2012 or spring 2013)

Orlando:

The Mall At Millenia

Charlotte:

SouthPark Mall

Tampa:

International Plaza and Bay Street

Nashville:

The Mall At Green Hills

Jacksonville:

St. John's Town Center

Birmingham:

The Summit

Charleston:

King Street

So this is pretty much what we have so far in the Southeastern United States, if I omitted a center or city please feel free to add it in. This area includes TN, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, and MS, this is generally the area that is the Southeastern United States as defined by the Census Bureau, even though VA, D.C., WV, MD, and KY are part of the South.

Edited October 25, 2011 by Kenneth Disraili-Jean

[101_ce]

The numbers in there are pretty suspect, speaking that South Park is 1.79 million square feet. Even so, I want the sales numbers for the luxury stores that encompass only 10-20% of the mall. However, $700 per sq feet is absolutely astounding! Thats great news, and I really appreciate those numbers! I just need more, since south park has countless stores unique to the region its hard for it not to be successful.

Actually, SouthPark is officially 1,621,000 square feet according to Simon's website. I'm not sure why someone edited it on wikipedia when it was correct before. Maybe they wish SouthPark was that big. I know i do!

The problem is that Simon does not release official numbers and tbh I have no idea where to look for numbers of the actual stores. But you do have to remember that luxury retailers rely on just a few sales per day to be considered successful, especially with the prices they have.

Don't forget Palm Beach County!

Town Center at Boca Raton

Palm Beach Gardens

[Kenneth Disraili-Jean]

Thank you ct, I modified the post on the previous page and they have been added in.

[mallguy]

I'd say King Street in Charleston and Stony Point Fashion Park in Richmond would go on there as well.

[Guest]

They call it 1.79 because simon's website does not include crate and barrel and village at southpark which are part of southpark mall, but not part of the enclosed mall.

[DigitalSky]

I believe the contiguous portion of the mall + Dick's, McCormick's and San Antonio's makes up the 1,621,000 square feet. The 1,794,000 comes in with the Eckerd Drug's, Crate and Barrel and Village at SouthPark lower level shopping plaza -- which Niblet mentioned.

[Temeteron]

I visited SP today. Was extremely EXTREMELY dissapointed to see that the old Finish Line space will become a Foot Locker?? Are you serious? Didn't Foot Locker close its doors 2 years ago and now all of a sudden they are returning? Strange to say the least. What made me even more upset was that the old Carlyle & Co. spot which is prime location right in center court across from Swarosvki is going to be a Lily Pulitzer (BOOOORING). Sigh....Nicole Bostic what is wrong with you?

[101_ce]

WTH? If Finish Line can't make it there how can Foot Locker? Considering the clientele I don't think it can support it with Dick's and the department stores with similar items.

I was hoping it would be a Gilly Hicks!

I mean come on even Hartford and San Antonio have one. Why can't Charlotte and Atlanta? The A&F there is the largest A&F in the south, excluding Florida. If you count Florida it would be 3rd or 4th.

Edited October 28, 2011 by ct36

[Kenneth Disraili-Jean]

Ct is right. There is no reason why Charlotte can not have a Gilly Hicks, a really nice store. And as Abercrombie grows I think so will the square footage it needs. This is just an idea out of the top of my head, but why not have two upscale/luxury oriented malls in Charlotte or build an outdoor center like a lifestyle or even somewhat secluded like Bal Harbour.

Now I did not say have the same exact stores in this future Bal Harbour like development, but it could start out nice with some A-Line retailers, a few high end and evolve just like Highland Park Village did in Dallas. Maybe it could even be build across the street from South Park have the retail stores from one end to the other and be anchored by Bloomingdale's and Saks Fifth Avenue. Just a thought to think about. And contrary to belief from some of the Charlotte posters, I really do like Charlotte and I am so impressed in the way it has evolved from a little known city in the 70's to the gleaming metropolis that it is today.

[StevenRocks]

Finish Line becoming a Foot Locker isn't what I expected, but it makes sense. I think the reason Foot Locker left before was that their lease got bought out or something, not a lack of sales. Anyway, one sneaker store in a mall that size is not big deal. Also, Llily Pulitzer is nothing to sneeze at. They're an upscale brand that will appeal to SouthPark's target market.

There's still plenty of space to let at the mall, especially with all the no-name stores on short term leases in the Macy's wing. When the economy improves, the store mix will keep getting better and better.

[101_ce]

Finish Line becoming a Foot Locker isn't what I expected, but it makes sense. I think the reason Foot Locker left before was that their lease got bought out or something, not a lack of sales. Anyway, one sneaker store in a mall that size is not big deal. Also, Llily Pulitzer is nothing to sneeze at. They're an upscale brand that will appeal to SouthPark's target market.

There's still plenty of space to let at the mall, especially with all the no-name stores on short term leases in the Macy's wing. When the economy improves, the store mix will keep getting better and better.

Agreed, but there's only so many lower end stores that can close for higher end stores to open up. I think they need an expansion. Too bad there's really no where to expand, and I don't think they are even allowed to.

[DigitalSky]

Agreed, but there's only so many lower end stores that can close for higher end stores to open up. I think they need an expansion. Too bad there's really no where to expand, and I don't think they are even allowed to.

There's always somewhere to go. Upward!

lol,but yeah not allowed to

Edited October 30, 2011 by DigitalSky

[StevenRocks]

Agreed, but there's only so many lower end stores that can close for higher end stores to open up. I think they need an expansion. Too bad there's really no where to expand, and I don't think they are even allowed to.

If the market warrants an expansion or remerchandising, I think they'll be able to make it happen.

[dusty87]

Great News! Neiman Marcus now accepts Visa in-store!

http://online.wsj.co...=googlenews_wsj

Although I always feel fancier than kids with their parents' AMEX cards when I pull out $500 in cash

[Temeteron]

Great News! Neiman Marcus now accepts Visa in-store!

http://online.wsj.co...=googlenews_wsj

Although I always feel fancier than kids with their parents' AMEX cards when I pull out $500 in cash

I knew this was coming.....

[dusty87]

I knew this was coming.....

Been too long in coming actually. Both Macy's and Lord&Taylor use do the same but they stopped ten years ago too.

Edited November 6, 2011 by dusty87

[mallguy]

I tried to buy a few things at the Charlotte Neiman's when it first opened but didn't have my AmEx with me- and after dealing with the hassle and snobbishness of the store, I just walked down to Nordstrom, bought basically the same things there, and have lived happily ever after.

What a snobby quote from the CEO, from the article- precisely while I'm not returning to NM:

"We'd love to invite new, affluent customers into Neiman Marcus, and this gives them the possibility of shopping with us,"

[101_ce]

I tried to buy a few things at the Charlotte Neiman's when it first opened but didn't have my AmEx with me- and after dealing with the hassle and snobbishness of the store, I just walked down to Nordstrom, bought basically the same things there, and have lived happily ever after.

What a snobby quote from the CEO, from the article- precisely while I'm not returning to NM:

"We'd love to invite new, affluent customers into Neiman Marcus, and this gives them the possibility of shopping with us,"

Well, do you expect non-affluent people to be able to afford Neiman Marcus anyway? I like the store, but I like Nordstrom and Belk better.

[Temeteron]

Well, do you expect non-affluent people to be able to afford Neiman Marcus anyway? I like the store, but I like Nordstrom and Belk better.

Belk is awful. They dont have anything in there for men. Considering that SP Belk is the company's flagship store, it is a pretty pathetic selection. That and their merchandising sucks. There are way too many fixtures crowding up the aisles and even the walkways. Can't hardly find anything and then the sales associates there are so unprofessional. I remember the last time I went to Belk was about 2 years ago and the only reason why I went there was because I needed a suit. Since they have good prices I decided to check out their Suit dept. The sales associate was so unprofessional that not only was his tie not long enough (supposed to be down to his belt buckle not above his belly button) but also, he was chewing gum while trying to sell me a $500 suit. I used to work at Neiman so I observe everything in retail environments. People who don't know what they are doing is a total turn off for me when I am shopping.

[101_ce]

Belk is awful. They dont have anything in there for men. Considering that SP Belk is the company's flagship store, it is a pretty pathetic selection. That and their merchandising sucks. There are way too many fixtures crowding up the aisles and even the walkways. Can't hardly find anything and then the sales associates there are so unprofessional. I remember the last time I went to Belk was about 2 years ago and the only reason why I went there was because I needed a suit. Since they have good prices I decided to check out their Suit dept. The sales associate was so unprofessional that not only was his tie not long enough (supposed to be down to his belt buckle not above his belly button) but also, he was chewing gum while trying to sell me a $500 suit. I used to work at Neiman so I observe everything in retail environments. People who don't know what they are doing is a total turn off for me when I am shopping.

What are you expecting? Another Neiman Marcus? That's not what Belk is and will ever be. I never recall getting bad service at any Belk store. Neiman's customer service isn't too good either. Sure, most of them won't be stuck up if you come in wearing Burberry and Armani, etc. Nordstrom will always be overall much better than Neimans. Either way Belk is way better than Macy's or Dillard's.

Besides, the SouthPark Neiman Marcus hardly has anything for men, either. The last (close to) 30% of level one is men's, so that would only be around 10-15,000 square feet of men's merchandise. The only two times I have been to Neiman's I left and went to Nordstrom because they didn't have what I was looking for.

I do like Neiman Marcus, however. I just wish that it wouldn't promote snobbery and their customer service was close to Nordstrom's. Also, a larger selection would be nice.

Belk was a lot more on par with Neiman Marcus at SouthPark back in the day. Gucci, Oscar de la Renta, Louis Vuitton were sold at Belk. Then, they opened their own stores or moved to Nordstrom/Neiman Marcus. After all, it wouldn't really make sense to sell Gucci at 2-3 different stores at SouthPark. Belk can't support high end men's merchandise like it can for women. The market won't support it, except for Neiman Marcus where they specialize in high end merchandise, however, only have a tiny portion of it.

Edited November 8, 2011 by ct36

[mallguy]

Well, do you expect non-affluent people to be able to afford Neiman Marcus anyway? I like the store, but I like Nordstrom and Belk better.

There are plenty of token items for sale around the Charlotte store that are affordable for people of modest means- food items, trinkets, etc., and the sale racks are affordable. Even if there weren't such things, the CEO is basically saying, "If you're rich, we want you; if you're not, we don't." Tacky, tacky.

[dusty87]

This store isn't at South Park but after seeing the Belk discussion(I don't usually like Belk, although the Belk stores at SP and Columbiana are great) I was curious if you guys think JCPenney's current gamble will work ie. the guy from Apple as the new CEO and bringing over more Apple people and lately getting rights to sell more upscale brands etc.

[101_ce]

This store isn't at South Park but after seeing the Belk discussion(I don't usually like Belk, although the Belk stores at SP and Columbiana are great) I was curious if you guys think JCPenney's current gamble will work ie. the guy from Apple as the new CEO and bringing over more Apple people and lately getting rights to sell more upscale brands etc.

Generally, I am actually getting more and more impressed with JCP. Sure, it's not Belk, but some are actually pretty nice. The one at Coastal Grand and the Mall at Johnson City were both very nice. They looked similar to Belk (just not as nice), had Sephora, Mango, etc.

I really think that they should renovate their brand as Belk has done and do many renovations and add even better brands, have more Sephora stores, etc.

The JCPenney here in Asheville hasn't been touched if I am correct. The store just doesn't look good and is really cramped and has a very closed layout. JCP at Coastal Grand was a lot less cluttered, looked nice and was fairly open. I think if they made more JCP stores look like that they would be very successful.

My Belk has also improved a lot.

They recently added Coach, Dolce Vita, Laura Mercier, Michael Kors, Sam Edelman, Vince Camuto, etc.

Sadly, their Men's section hasn't improved at all, however. I think they even lost Lacoste. It's still nice for Asheville, though. I definitely prefer it to Dillard's. The same is really true for most places (ie Belk is better at Haywood than Dillard's, better at Asheville and SouthPark-of course!)

I think Belk should focus on getting more lines. Belk at SouthPark was generally on par with Neiman's in the 90s I believe with Gucci, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, etc.

[mallguy]

There is a new JCPenney on 34th Street in Manhattan. I was really impressed with it; it was a great-looking store (with sleek floors, very appealing layouts), nice-looking clothes. If that's the future of JCPenney, the store should be doing very well.

I went to Belk at Haywood a few weeks ago. The store is starting to look a little aged, and after hearing talk of it being high-end, seeing row after row of Big & Tall stretch-waist pants was just depressing. It is not high-end. The SouthPark store is an exception but even it needs some TLC- Nordstrom's visual appeal at least is much higher.

[dusty87]

Oddly Belk at Columbiana Centre is more high end than Belk at Haywood. Columbiana's Belk men's department has a big sections devoted to Lacoste, Tommy Bahama, 7 for All Mankind etc.