Business & Tech

Despite Proxmity, New West County Outlet Malls Each Predict Success

The first one opens this week, but the dueling developments of St. Louis Premium Outlets and Taubman Prestige Outlets have largely declined to address their competition head-on.

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Written by Frank Johnson.

By the end of August, Chesterfield Valley will be have at least 130 new, mostly retail, stores that are predicted to draw thousands of shoppers each year.

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And with the first phase of Chesterfield’s outlet mall war appears to be reaching its end game, the question now becomes who came out on top, Taubman Prestige Outlets or St. Louis Premium Outlets?

Representatives from both companies have declined to address their competition head on, but the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently declared St. Louis Premium Outlets to have the better position based on the number of tenants they have signed.

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Currently, Taubman Prestige Outlets lists 47 stores on their website and 46 have filed permits with the city of Chesterfield, which is far less than their rival, which says it is 100 percent leased with 90 stores.

However, Taubman’s General Manager Colleen O’Neil told Patch that she expects the number to grow to around 67 soon, noting that the outlet center is 80 percent leased.

Quality vs. Quantity

While the number of stores is one barometer, the quality of the stores is another, and each outlet is quick to praise their respective selection.

Simon’s director of marketing and business development Emily Zimmerman said they have had already had thousands of people sign up for their VIP Shopper Club, an indication that there big name brands, such as Armani, Kate Spade New York and Saks Fifth Avenue are proving to be a draw.

For Taubman, O’Neill said that in the outlet mall business, the retailers are the destination. She said they have a number of stores that are different from their competitor, such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Furla, Uno de 50 and Polo Ralph Lauren.

Is there enough to go around?

Of course, the question on everyone’s mind since the announcement of the two outlet malls came forward, how can they both be successful without hurting each other or other regional retail developments?

Zimmerman declined to answer the question head on, but pointed to the fact that retailers have expressed a lot of confidence in the development, given it’s that is already 100 percent leased. She added that St. Louis Premium Outlets is already discussing a “Phase 2” expansion for the outlet mall.

A longtime veteran of retail leasing and marketing in the St. Louis area, O’Neill said it’s not unheard for two malls to be in close proximity, such as Plaza Frontenac and the St. Louis Galleria in Brentwood.

“They are both successful,” she said. “They are 3 miles from each other and they have many of the same retailers.”

About the Outlets:

St. Louis Premium Outlets is set to open Aug. 22. The $100 million, 350,000-square-foot complex will include 85 stores located on the south side of Highway 40 just east of the Daniel Boone Bridge. It is being developed by Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group and Forth Worth, Texas-based Woodmont Outlets.

Taubman Prestige Outlets is set to open Aug. 2. The $150 million, 450,000-square-foot project will include more than 100 stores on North Outer 40 east of Boone’s Crossing. It is being developed by Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based Taubman Centers and Warren, N.J.-based OutletPartners LLC.


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