OUTLET CENTERS ARE MORPHING INTO LIFESTYLE CENTERS
Posted on February 16, 2016 by Katie Sloan in Features, Top Stories
Retail outlets, for many, call to mind memories of piling into a car and driving into rural parts of the state for a day filled with bargain hunting. While these traditional centers still exist, a shift is taking place in the outlet landscape. New development is moving toward the rooftops, and bringing with it the elements of a successful lifestyle center.
Los Angeles Outlets, a planned 400,000-square-foot outlet center, will feature approximately 90 designer and brand name retailers.
“Most of the outlets used to be in rural areas where you would have to go on a journey to get your discounts,” says Quito Anderson, CEO of Ben Carter Enterprises. “Those days are gone.”
Enhanced food offerings, placemaking and the addition of entertainment are just a few of the elements making their way into the modern outlet center.
“In the past, entertainment at outlet centers had been exceedingly limited,” says Karen Fluharty, partner at Strategy+Style Marketing Group.
“The entertainment used to be almost exclusively found in the discounts. Today, there is a convergence between entertaining the customer while they’re shopping and allowing them to both be entertained by and enjoy the synergies of the surrounding environment,” says Fluharty.
From kids clubs, to fireworks exhibits, movie theaters and restaurants, today’s outlet center is not just a place to bargain shop — it’s a place to relax, and spend time with your family...