Sawgrass Mills to expand Colonnade in late 2012

By Arlene Satchell Sun Sentinel

FLORIDA - The giant Sawgrass Mills shopping mall in Sunrise plans to add 180,000 square feet of retail space as part of an expansion and redevelopment project that's set to begin this fall.

Already one of the nation’s largest outlet malls, Sawgrass Mills has more than 350 stores and restaurants.

“You would think we have enough space to satiate demand, but that’s not the case,” Gregg Goodman, president of The Mills, a division of Simon Property Group, said in an interview with the Sun Sentinel Tuesday.

“We have a whole list of tenants, which seems like its growing all the time, who want space in Sawgrass Mills and we can’t accommodate them because we just don’t have it,” Goodman added.

Goodman has responsibility for Sawgrass Mills and 15 other Mills properties.

The mall will build a 40,000-square-foot addition at The Colonnade Outlets at Sawgrass, which will add more than 20 new stores by late 2012.

The former Wannado City space, which was shuttered earlier this year, will be transformed into 140,000-square-feet of additional shopping that will house both new and existing retailers.

For example, Forever 21, which sells apparel for young people, will be relocated into a 60,000-square-foot location, its largest in Florida and Calvin Klein will move into a 20,000-square-foot outlet store, Goodman said.

Among the new store brands on the horizon are Under Armour Factory House, DKNY Company Store, Max Studio, Desigual and Original Penguin.

Also adding to the Colonnade lineup this summer is a new Tory Burch outlet store – the first in South Florida. The store sells women’s apparel and accessories.

The Wannado City redevelopment should open by summer 2012, with the Colonnade expansion opening later in the year by the holidays, Goodman said.

Goodman wouldn’t specify the cost of the project other than to say it is in the “multiples of millions.”

The retail mix at Oasis at Sawgrass Mills will also change with the addition of new outlets from Talbot's, Greg Norman and Old Navy, as well as a California Pizza Kitchen restaurant, according to Goodman.

Upgrades will also bring restroom renovations and new soft-seating areas throughout the mall.

Efforts to improve mall traffic will include directional signage, new traffic signals, smart parking garage decks and a trolley service that will circle the sprawling complex.

“We trying not to just add [space],” said Goodman, referring to the mall’s efforts to make it easier for customers to navigate the vast mall. “We’re constantly looking for things to do to enhance the customer experience.”

Video from News Channel 5 WPTV.com

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