Outlets At Little Rock Shopping Development Plans Fall Grand Opening
by February 25, 2015 11:03 am 342 views
The busy southwest Little Rock corridor near the intersection of Interstates 30 and 430 has scheduled another grand-opening for the fast-growing business district that is now home to sporting goods retailer Bass Pro Shops.
New England Development, the owner of the new Outlets at Little Rock development, will host a grand opening for the state’s first outlet project on Oct. 16, 2015. The 300,000 square foot center will feature some 75 brand name retailers when it opens.
“We have a strong list of retailers on board,” said Michael Barelli, vice president of New England Development. “We know Arkansans are eager to start shopping, and the stores will be open in time for fall fashions and the start of holiday shopping.”
The development will be located at Gateway Town Center, adjacent to the sprawling Bass Pro Shops shopping mall that opened in the fall of 2013. Outlet officials said the grand opening will feature a weekend of festivities, which will be announced closer to the opening.
Like other outlet mall locations across the U.S., officials are hoping that the Arkansas location will be a tourist attraction for out-of-state travelers and Arkansas residents visiting central Arkansas. The Little Rock grand opening has been strategically scheduled just ahead of the all-important holiday shopping season.
“We’re excited that the grand opening of Outlets at Little Rock will take place during one of the best months in the state for tourism and activity,” Barelli said. “Our opening weekend is also the last weekend of the Arkansas State Fair and one of those unique times of the year when hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors are out enjoying all the many great things Arkansas has to offer. We’re hopeful Outlets at Little Rock becomes part of their entertainment plans that weekend.”
Currently, New England Development owns and operates an eclectic mix of outlet centers in at least 13 states across the U.S. Besides Little Rock location, the Newton, Mass.-based real estate development and management firm has planned projects in Asheville, N.C., Clarksburg, Md., Des Moines, Iowa, Detroit and Palm Beach, Fla.
All of the company’s locations feature iconic retail brand names such as Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH, Ann Taylor Factory Store, Express Factory Outlet, Kenneth Cole, DKNY and Under Armour.
Barelli said the retailers at the southwest Little Rock development will begin making announcements a couple of months before the grand opening. Once the center opens, those same retailers won’t have to worry about getting inventory to the 75 retailers who plan to set up shop.
Last week, FedEx Ground held a grand-opening for on a planned 300,000-square foot automated distribution center that will employ more than 160 full- and part-time workers. That facility, which is expected to open in August 2016, is located less than a mile from Bass Pro and Outlets at Little Rock.
By the end of 2016, the Mabelvale robust business district is expected to be able to support nearly 1200 part- and full-time jobs, and bring in estimated annual sales tax revenue for Little Rock and Pulaski County of nearly $4 million, according to area economic development officials.