SouthPark Mall

[Temeteron]

So Fila has closed as stated it would earlier........what do you guys think it'll become? Its such a small spot though...

[StevenRocks]

So Fila has closed as stated it would earlier........what do you guys think it'll become? Its such a small spot though...

No clue, but it won't be on the market long considering the location

[appatone]

I was wondering what the thoughts were of Manolos or CBV or anyone else really as to the likelyhood of CHarlotte perhaps getting a Rugby store now that RL has closed the Chapel Hill and VA stores. It now appears the closest locations are in Dallas and DC. Did he close those stores due to poor performance. I know Charlotte isn't a "college town" but with the huge influx of recent grads we get every year when they land there first jobs it seems Charlotte could be a good fit. Would they base opening a rugby here on how well the current RL does or perhaps a developer offer them a deal they can't refuse?

[CLT2010]

^^^^I thought one should be in CLT over Chapel Hill anyways, I think that its just simple there are a lot more people that live here and come to visit our destination mall.

[StevenRocks]

Rugby's not a strong seller fro RL. A location of Abercrombie's new(ish) division RUEHL No.925 isn't out of the question, though.

[jeepguy7776]

Greetings from Fort Lauderdale everyone. I am moving to Charlotte this weekend. I have been with Bloomingdales here for 2.5 years.Iam just curious to know your advice. Would you recommend that I go and work for Macy's or Belk? Which store seems to do more volume,etc? Just curious. Has the GAP at that mall been remodeled yet? Thanks for the help.

[jeepguy7776]

Hello again...I have read some of the previous post on here. It seems that a lot of people really want a Bloomingdales to open there. I can teell you that from what I have heard by regional executives that come into our store,Charlotte is no where near on the radar for a Bloomingdales at the moment. I can tell you that Charlotte is considered a "major" market for Macys though.

[Guest]

Belk, hands down. It is the flagship store for the brand, usually very busy, and is tops in sales annually for the company.

[jeepguy7776]

Nibletodell.....Great, thanks so much for the advice.I was looking for overll pics of the mall. Are there any one here? Thanks

[Manolos]

I was wondering what the thoughts were of Manolos or CBV or anyone else really as to the likelyhood of CHarlotte perhaps getting a Rugby store now that RL has closed the Chapel Hill and VA stores. It now appears the closest locations are in Dallas and DC. Did he close those stores due to poor performance. I know Charlotte isn't a "college town" but with the huge influx of recent grads we get every year when they land there first jobs it seems Charlotte could be a good fit. Would they base opening a rugby here on how well the current RL does or perhaps a developer offer them a deal they can't refuse?

I don't follow Rugby that much but as Steven said, its not a major seller. Rugby seems to be a niche brand (quite popular in NJ and NE in general) but when he first introduced Rugby, he intended it to be the "college" brand. Most stores are either in popular college shopping districts or on trendy streets. I don't know of any Rugby stores in malls, and I remember an article back when Rugby was launched that it would be a street-scape retail store. If thats still the case, I don't think Charlotte will be seeing one open anytime soon. Though I see your point, Charlotte has a high young-person population.

I didn't realize the Chapel Hill and VA stores closed. I would only assume they closed due to poor performance, but I don't know too much about it. Its only my guess.

[JerseyBoy]

Hello again...I have read some of the previous post on here. It seems that a lot of people really want a Bloomingdales to open there. I can teell you that from what I have heard by regional executives that come into our store,Charlotte is no where near on the radar for a Bloomingdales at the moment. I can tell you that Charlotte is considered a "major" market for Macys though.

That's a disappointment to hear. Here's a link to some photos of SouthPark:

A friend of mine's website dedicated to malls.

[jeepguy7776]

wow, nice pics...thanks

[Temeteron]

I think alot of stores, including Bloomingdale's and others like Club Monaco, A/X, and French Connection have very weird, senseless and strict policies on demographics. What kind of demographics must a city have in order for stores like those to open in a market? I mean I can understand why Charlotte doesn't have a Valentino, Etro, Roberto Cavalli, and Gianni Versace....but why wouldnt other stores that are more logical to open in Charlotte don't? For Example, it took Charlotte way too long to get a Crate & Barrel. Nordstrom was in the triangle before it came to Charlotte, and Saks exists in the Triangle and other cities that have nowhere near as great demographics as CLT. What gives?

[appatone]

I don't follow Rugby that much but as Steven said, its not a major seller. Rugby seems to be a niche brand (quite popular in NJ and NE in general) but when he first introduced Rugby, he intended it to be the "college" brand. Most stores are either in popular college shopping districts or on trendy streets. I don't know of any Rugby stores in malls, and I remember an article back when Rugby was launched that it would be a street-scape retail store. If thats still the case, I don't think Charlotte will be seeing one open anytime soon. Though I see your point, Charlotte has a high young-person population.

I didn't realize the Chapel Hill and VA stores closed. I would only assume they closed due to poor performance, but I don't know too much about it. Its only my guess.

Thanks SR and Manolos.

[StevenRocks]

I think alot of stores, including Bloomingdale's and others like Club Monaco, A/X, and French Connection have very weird, senseless and strict policies on demographics. What kind of demographics must a city have in order for stores like those to open in a market? I mean I can understand why Charlotte doesn't have a Valentino, Etro, Roberto Cavalli, and Gianni Versace....but why wouldnt other stores that are more logical to open in Charlotte don't? For Example, it took Charlotte way too long to get a Crate & Barrel. Nordstrom was in the triangle before it came to Charlotte, and Saks exists in the Triangle and other cities that have nowhere near as great demographics as CLT. What gives?

There's so much logic used in locating stores these days that reason as a concept has largely thrown to the wayside. Retailers pay consultants to create these elaborate brand strategies that define their ideal customer, who, if the concept trends above the average, middle-market consumer, invaiably only lives in the top 25 markets of the country. The end effect is two-fold:

• Some cities get seemingly everything new and unique, with varying results, while other cities get almost nothing but could potentially suppot more than they have.
  
• Other cities get dozens and dozens of the same five middle-market chains because the analysts figure shoppers will prefer these safe choices above all others.
  

If you eant to see this formula at its most analytical, check out this article in The New York Times.

The only things that upset the formula are the retailers with location strategies not centered on statistics. These are the family-owned-or-contolled chains and indpendent retailers. At the risk of sounding like a cliche, that's where the magic happens.

Crate & Barrel, just so we'll all know, actually was waiting for the right Charlotte location more than anything else. Same thing with NM and Nordstrom and a lot of the designer shops that are here now.

[Manolos]

I think alot of stores, including Bloomingdale's and others like Club Monaco, A/X, and French Connection have very weird, senseless and strict policies on demographics. What kind of demographics must a city have in order for stores like those to open in a market? I mean I can understand why Charlotte doesn't have a Valentino, Etro, Roberto Cavalli, and Gianni Versace....but why wouldnt other stores that are more logical to open in Charlotte don't? For Example, it took Charlotte way too long to get a Crate & Barrel. Nordstrom was in the triangle before it came to Charlotte, and Saks exists in the Triangle and other cities that have nowhere near as great demographics as CLT. What gives?

Steven answered this beautifully.

They don't have senseless and strict policies at all. Most of these companies have expanded to many of the largest retail markets and where their brands sell the best. For example, all three have a more European and Classic look to them, hence even run-of-the-mill malls in new england will see an a/x or club monaco sitting around. Its more than just size of the market and the average income. A big question is "can this style even sell in this city?" perhaps you think so, but with the exception of major cities and new england, a lot of these styles will be hard to sell continuously throughout the year. Will the expansion actually make a significant profit? A lot goes into opening a new store. These types of retailers (and even more so as you go up the luxury level) look at so many factors and evaluate markets to the extreme before entering.

Its easy to say one city needs something, like Atlanta needs a Prada or a Barneys. But then look at the Prada in SoHo and SF (both of which perform poorly) and the prada that closed in Dallas. And the recently opened Barneys in Dallas is under-performing. Luxury retailers face a lot of risk. Being able to sustain continuous sales (and enough to afford these high rents in luxury enclaves) is difficult, and its not worht it to open and then close 2 years later. A/X was in Scottsdale for a few years and closed in 1996 and is only reopening in 2008. Why did it take so long for Scottsdale to get a new A/X? Even a city that has a more defined luxury collection holds some risk.

Moreover, regardless of their more affordable price range, all three of these brands still try to keep a sense of exclusivity. THey don't open dozens of stores each year, more like just a few.

An interesting article to look at is: http://retailtrafficmag.com/mag/retail_look_luxe/

Especially the section under It's Who You Know

Edited July 26, 2007 by Manolos

[Creasy336]

Maybe Escada will come to the Fila space at SouthPark?? or is it too small? After doing some research they tend to be in most Neiman Marcus stores if they don't have their own seperate boutique.

[juniper]

Maybe Escada will come to the Fila space at SouthPark?? or is it too small? After doing some research they tend to be in most Neiman Marcus stores if they don't have their own seperate boutique.

Yeah, we have Escada at NM.

[Manolos]

That space would be really small for an Escada boutique. Almost every NM has Escada in addition to the freestanding boutique.

Its a good space for Bang & Olufsen.

[ScottCLT]

That space would be really small for an Escada boutique. Almost every NM has Escada in addition to the freestanding boutique.

Its a good space for Bang & Olufsen.

Bang & Olufsen was already in Charlotte once and unfortunately failed. They were at Phillips Place. I enjoyed just going in that store when it was here, but I never could afford a damned thing. I'd love to be able to browse through the expensive electronics once again, but I guess browsing doesn't keep a store open, does it?

[Manolos]

Ah yes I forgot about that, I remember reading that somewhere.

Another good candidate is Betsey Johnson, which I don't remember ever being in Charlotte in the last few years, but I could be wrong.

[Guest]

The only Betsy Johnson in Charlotte is her line of lingerie at Victoria's Secret.

[voyager12]

I was surprised to learn recently that Savannah has a Marc by Marc Jacobs which is their lower end line. I believe it is downtown along Broughton St, which is gentrifying along the lines of King St in Charleston. I think a high end Marc Jacobs store could do well in SouthPark.

[Guest]

Its as superb store. They have things priced from 10 dollars (cavas totes and flip flops) to $700s (purses and one pair of shoes). Its no suprise that they came to savannah. Savannah College of Art and Design from what I heard bankrolled the store, and got him as their fashion show special guest. Savannah is getting a number of stores downtown over the next couple years. They are getting an Urban Outfitters, a Hugo Boss, and a Ruth Chris. I have clients in savannah that keep me posted. I would totally agree that it would have success, I will be in Savannah tommorrow to meet with my printer, so I'll snap a picture.

Edited July 31, 2007 by Guest

[voyager12]

I grew up on Hilton Head Island so I have watched Broughton change from a nogo zone to a thriving downtown street. I forgot to factor in SCAD. It makes perfect sense now. The school is one of the best in the nation for cutting edge design and has been attracting attention nationwide so it make sense for Marc Jacobs to have a presence there.