Tanger Outlets in Hilton Head fill most remaining vacancies

By ALLISON STICE- The Island Packet

Tanger Outlet Centers has filled nearly all storefronts in both of its shopping centers on U.S. 278 in Bluffton, with prospective tenants negotiating for each of the four remaining spaces.

Ten stores have been added since the grand reopening of Tanger Outlet Center 1 in March after a yearlong $43 million redevelopment, the company announced Tuesday. That includes Columbia Sportswear, an active and outdoor apparel retailer, which opens Friday at Tanger Outlet Center 2.

"We have some new things at the center, so if shoppers haven't been by recently, they might want to come back," general manager LaDonna Shamlou said.

The new offerings include things to eat, as well. LongHorn Steakhouse opened in May at Tanger 1, and Shamlou said Olive Garden is aiming for a grand opening in late December or early 2012.

The restaurant was involved in a dispute with the county, in part because its signature design with tile and stone materials didn't match those of the other shops in the center. The county planning department approved the restaurant's plans, and the shell of the restaurant is already up, Shamlou said.

"We get a lot of questions about Olive Garden," she said.

The Bluffton outlet centers, with nearly 90 stores between them, generate about $1.8 million in annual sales-tax revenue and $163,000 in annual property-tax revenue. About 1.7 million shoppers pass through each year, according to a release from Tanger Outlet Centers Inc., based in Greensboro, N.C.

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