Tom Ford to open first outlet at Woodbury Commons

By Victoria Wellman  - Dailymail.co.uk

Bargain hunting fashionistas in the New York area will be chomping at the bit in anticipation with news of the latest addition to the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets.

Master of exclusivity and scrupulous in-store security, Tom Ford is to open his very first and only outlet at the Central Valley retail village in mid-July.

The Texan designer is famous for keeping his work and the promotion of it carefully controlled so access to his coveted collections at more affordable prices will be a welcome surprise to clotheshorses near and far. 

At the time of his first New York menswear store opening, The New York Times reported having to get through 'passport control' and being closely monitored while shopping so as not to stray into 'appointment only' areas.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lawrence recently gave eager fans of the designer's sharp style a glimpse of his Fall/Winter 2012 collection with stunning red carpet appearances.

Fashion accessories masterclass at McArthurGlen Ashford

by  Joe Bill, Features Reporter- Kentnews.co.uk

The McAthrurGlen style consultant Deborah Eastlake will be hosting an Accessories Masterclass to show off this summers hottest designs and trends.

Local fashion enthusiasts are encouraged to head down to the outlet centre on Saturday, April 21 to find out which items are hot off the 2012 catwalks.

There will be a chance to meet Deborah and get her fashion expertise and thoughts as well as top tips and style guidance.

Deborah said:: “After the whirlwind of Fashion Week – one of the recurring trends that prevailed was to accessorise, accessorise, accessorise! As a key trend this Spring/Summer, it is important to get it right, over-accessorising can make outfits too gaudy, whilst under-accessorising can make it fade into the background – the key is to find a balance.

“Accessories have the ability to create that wow factor whilst also remaining simplistic and sophisticated.”

The masterclass will take place at 10am at the Style Suite in the southern end of the centre, next to accessories brand, Guess.

To book your place and for further information please contact Deborah Eastlake on 01233 895 903 or deborah.eastlake@mcarthurglen.com

Shoppers Strut in Stilettos at Tanger Outlets

By: Brittany Shane | WSAV News 3 Published: April 07, 2012

Things got heated in the lowcountry as savvy shoppers put on some high-heels for Tanger Outlet's "Fashion Week Stiletto Run."

Both men and women put on the heels and raced for a chance to win a $250 shopping spree.

Despite it being a close race only one came out a winner..a woman from Germany.

Aaron Kimball--who had on nearly five-inch heels---says he'll work out a new strategy for next year.

"Strategy? Probably smaller heels, haha, I really didn't even measure these, I just grabbed them."

Tanger officials say the Fashion Week event was such a hit, they plan on doing it again next year and they hope even more shoppers will strap-on their stilettos.

Planning board meets over Woodbury Commons proposed expansion

By: Christian Farrell - hudsonvally.ynn.com

WOODBURY, N.Y. -- 220 stores apparently aren't enough. The Woodbury Common Premium Outlets might be getting a facelift that may include more retail stores among other new additions.

At a Village of Woodbury planning board meeting Wednesday, outlets spokesperson Danielle De Vita detailed some of the proposed changes designed to make the outlets center more "shopper friendly."

"Some of the things we're really excited about is just overhauling the center in terms of fixing the roofs, fixing the facades, fixing the landscaping, enhancing the heartscape, bringing in new amenities, bringing in features that enhance this customer experience. Really, pure upgrades so that the customer experience is much nicer than it is today," said De Vita.

The re-development of 60,000 square feet of space at the Commons was originally approved 15 years ago. But with changes in the surrounding area since then additional environmental impact assessments must be considered by the state and village.

With traffic on Route 32 being one of the biggest concerns.

"Within Orange County we're the funnel. We're at the bottom end of the funnel. We get it from north, south, west and east. It's a constant traffic," said Woodbury Planning Board Chairperson Maria Hunter.

A more detailed plan still needs to be submitted, and the work would have to be approved by both the village and the state. If all that happens, work on the estimated $100 million expansion project could begin in less than a year.

Premium Outlets Begin Construction of Shisui Premium Outlets

INDIANAPOLIS, April 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE: SPG), the world's leading retail real estate company, announced today that, in partnership with Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd., it began construction of Shisui Premium Outlets®  (Shisui Town, Inba District, Chiba Prefecture), the ninth Premium Outlet Center® in Japan. 

Phase I, comprising 234,000 square feet of gross leasable area, is scheduled to open in spring 2013 with approximately 100 stores, including international brands, Japanese brands and restaurants.  Simon owns a 40% interest in the project.

The 49-acre site for construction of Shisui Premium Outlets® is situated approximately one mile from the Shisui Interchange (due to open March 2013) on the Higashi-Kanto Expressway, one hour from central Tokyo.  The site is also located 15 minutes from Narita International Airport, Japan's largest international hub airport, which handles approximately 34 million passengers annually.

"We are very excited to announce development of the ninth Premium Outlet Center in Japan," said John R. Klein, president of Simon's Premium Outlets. "This location is well suited to serve Japan's visitor market and complements our other area centers."

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers CEO Steve Tanger’s Pay Package Sinks by over a Third to $6 Million

By Bill Murphy - citybizlist

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. (NYSE:SKT) CEO Steven Tanger's pay package plunged by over a third to $6 million in 2011, according to an SEC filing. He was paid $9.44 million in 2010.

Tanger, who has led the Greensboro-headquartered developer of outlet malls since 2009, was paid a base annual salary of $754,050, $3.63 million in shares and $1.20 million in non-equity incentive.

Tanger has worked for Tanger-affiliated companies for most of his professional career, having served as executive vice president of Tanger/Creighton for 10 years. He was president and COO from 1995 to 2008.

Tanger Factory Outlet owns and operates at least 39 outlet centers with gross leasable area of 11.8 million square feet.

Outlet mall planned off I-64 in Shelby County

Written by Sheldon S. Shafer - The Courier-Journal

A Michigan developer has filed plans with the Army Corps of Engineers in Louisville to build a large outlet shopping mall along Interstate 64 at the Simpsonville exit in Shelby County, just east of the Jefferson County line.

The plans show that Horizon Group Properties, based in Muskegon, Mich., intends to build the

Outlet Shoppes at Louisville/Lexington just southwest of the I-64 interchange at Ky. 1848.

It is proposed to have nine buildings totaling about 355,000 square feet of commercial and retail space on about 60 acres, according to the request for the corps permit.

All or most of the land is owned by AKDB LLC, whose manager in Kentucky secretary of state corporate records is listed as John Schnatter, founder of the Papa John’s pizza chain. The Schnatter-led group at one time considered trying to develop a golf course on the property.

Horizon officials, including Thomas Rumtz, the project manager, and Andrew Pelmoter, who is listed as the leasing contact on a website promoting the development, didn’t return phone calls.
Scientific Studies Co. of Louisville, an agent for Horizon, is pursuing needed permits with the corps and state regulatory agencies, said Wayne Cassady, the principal in the Louisville environmental consulting firm.

He said he is not an authorized spokesman for Horizon, but acknowledged that Horizon must be “pretty far along (with the plans) to pursue the permits.” Cassady declined to speculate on a construction schedule.

Layna Thrush, the Army Corps of Engineers project manager on the Horizon proposal, said Horizon has asked the federal agency for approval to fill about a quarter-acre of wetlands, as well as to fill a 6.5-acre pond and about 575 linear feet of a stream through the property. It proposes purchasing comparable wetlands nearby as compensation.

“It’s pretty standard. We don’t expect any major problems” with the permit application, she said.

The corps opened a public comment period on the project March 27; it closes April 25. As of Tuesday, no one had filed a comment, Thrush said.

Ryan Libke, director of the Triple S Planning Commission, which handles zoning for Shelby County and the cities of Shelbyville and Simpsonville, said he had an early meeting in February with Horizon’s Rumtz. Libke said about one-third of the property probably will need to be rezoned to develop the outlets mall.

Horizon’s website says it has an oulets center “under development” near Louisville. It says it has established shopping centers in Burlington, Wash.; Oshkosh, Wis.; Fremont, Ind. (north of Fort Wayne); Gettysburg, Pa.; Oklahoma City; and El Paso, Texas. It lists other centers under development in or near Atlanta and Laredo, Texas.

The Northern Indiana mall includes such stores as Aeropostale, Bass Co., Gap Outlet, Golf 4 Less, Levi’s, Jockey, OshKosh B’Gosh, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, Reebok, Tommy Hilfiger and Van Heusen.

Start of Construction on Toronto Premium Outlets

Simon Property Group and Calloway REIT Celebrate the Start of Construction on Toronto Premium Outlets® With Groundbreaking Ceremony on April 25


INDIANAPOLIS and TORONTO, April 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE: SPG), the world's leading retail real estate company, and Calloway Real Estate Investment Trust ("Calloway") (TSX: CWT-UN), announced today that construction of Canada's first upscale outlet center will begin on April 25, 2012.  The first phase of the planned 500,000 square foot center will open in summer 2013. The project, called Toronto Premium Outlets®, is a 50/50 joint venture between Calloway and Simon.

Toronto Premium Outlets will be located in the Town of Halton Hills on Highway 401 at Trafalgar Road adjacent to Highways 401 and 407. The new outlet center will house over 100 high quality outlet stores and is expected to be the Canadian entry point for selected upscale, U.S. retailers and designer brands.

"Toronto Premium Outlets will feature an outstanding collection of many of the finest brands, offering value, quality and selection all in one convenient location," said John R. Klein, President of Simon's Premium Outlets division.  "We already welcome large numbers of Canadian visitors to our centers in the U.S. and look forward to serving these valued shoppers closer to their home. We see tremendous opportunity to introduce our top merchants to the Canadian market."

Simon Property Group's outlet portfolio comprises 70 Premium Outlet Centers® including 57 in the United States, one in Puerto Rico, eight in Japan, two in Korea and one in Mexico. Premium Outlet Centers in the United States are located primarily in or near major metropolitan markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago and visitor markets such as Orlando, Las Vegas and Palm Springs. Premium Outlets properties are distinguished by their unparalleled mix of leading designers and name brands selling direct to consumers at significant savings with each being an architecturally distinct village setting with charm and ambiance.

SmartCentres, on behalf of Simon and Calloway, worked to secure the required approvals to permit the project to proceed this spring. Simon is providing leasing, management and marketing services.

"Calloway is proud to be Simon's partner as they expand their portfolio into Canada," said Al Mawani, CEO of Calloway. "The Canadian retail landscape is evolving and Toronto Premium Outlets will be the first of its kind in the country."

"Halton Region is the right location for a new commercial retail development of this nature," said Gary Carr, Halton Regional Chair. " Businesses are choosing to locate in Halton due to both the quality infrastructure and high quality of life."

The new outlet center is expected to create more than 500 full and part-time jobs plus hundreds of local construction jobs over the next 16 months.

"We welcome the immediate construction jobs and permanent employment that Toronto Premium Outlets will create," said Rick Bonnette, Mayor of the Town of Halton Hills. "This new commercial retail establishment will be a significant new economic contributor to our area by drawing from a nearby population of more than six million people all within an hour's drive."

About Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE: SPG) is an S&P 100 company and the largest real estate company in the world.  The Company currently owns or has an interest in 337 retail real estate properties in North America and Asia comprising 245 million square feet.  We are headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and employ approximately 5,500 people in the U.S.  For more information, visit the Simon Property Group website at www.simon.com.

About Calloway
Calloway is one of Canada's largest real estate investment trusts with an enterprise value of approximately $6 billion. It owns and manages approximately 25 million square feet in 127 value-oriented retail centres having the strongest national and regional retailers, as well as strong neighbourhood merchants. Calloway's vision is to provide a value-oriented shopping experience to Canadian consumers.
About SmartCentres
A privately held Canadian company, SmartCentres has developed more than 200 shopping centres in communities big and small, and operates in every province.  SmartCentres is committed to bringing value to Canadian communities through the efficiencies of unenclosed shopping centre formats each adapted to the market in which it is located.  For more information on SmartCentres, visit www.smartcentres.com.

SOURCE Simon Property Group, Inc.

Kittery summer job fair planned for April 12

KITTERY — Kittery area employers will be on hand to interview and hire potential employees for the upcoming summer season. The job fair will be held at Traip Academy, on Thursday, April 12, from 2-7 pm.

Potential employees should dress appropriately and have resumes/experience with them.

Kittery businesses signed up to participate include:

Kittery Public Works; York Hospital; Hickey Freeman; Clark's Bostonian, Adecco Employment Services; Old Navy; ; KeyBank; Coach Factory Outlet; The Meat House; and Tanger Outlets.

Contact Jeremy Paul, Assistant Director, Kittery Recreation Department, 120 Rogers Rd., Kittery. Call 207-439-3800.

SOURCE: Fosters.com

The battle for St Louis - Taubman Breaks Ground, Simon Signs Saks

Prestige Outlet

By Robert Carr  - GlobeSt.com

CHESTERFIELD, MO-Both Simon Property Group and Taubman Centers are competing to see which company can build an outlet mall here first. Simon had the first cohesive statement by announcing Tuesday that it has signed anchor Saks OFF 5^th to St. Louis Premium Outlets and Taubman countered Thursday by breaking ground on its project Prestige Outlets Chesterfield.

Indianapolis-based $85 million Simon’s project, a venture with Woodmont Outlets and EWB Development, is part of the mixed-use Chesterfield Blue Valley development at Interstate 64 and US Highway 40. The first phase will have 350,000 square feet. The Saks would be the first store by the brand in Missouri.

Taubman’s site is across from the current Chesterfield Mall, and is set to include about 100 stores in 450,000 square feet. Nico Schultz, development manager for the Bloomfield Hills, MI-based Taubman, tells GlobeSt.com that the firm is the first to gain all city approvals to develop its outlet center. “We have the clear time advantage, we’ve been working to put together our site for more than a year,” he says. “They have a ways to go. We have firm commitments from retailers.”

However, he says can’t reveal the names of the tenants. “We typically announce tenants after our ceremonial groundbreaking, which we’re targeting for June,” Schultz says. He says he also can’t reveal the cost of the project, which is a venture between the REIT and OutletPartners LLC.

Taubman has 27 owned, leased or managed mall properties, including the outlet centers Dolphin Mall in Miami and Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills, MI.

In a statement Thursday, COO William Taubman said his property is by far the superior site, and will be completed by fall 2013. “We will be the dominant outlet shopping destination in the region,” he said. Simon, which has 70 outlet centers, said its property should also be finished by fall 2013.

This week has seen a number of outlet center projects announced throughout the Midwest, including a project by Muskegon, MI-based Horizon Group Properties to reportedly a 355,000-square-foot center in Louisville and recent city preliminary approval by Eagan, MN to allow Baltimore-based Paragon Outlet Partners LLC to open a 100-store project. Schultz says outlets are finally starting to get their due. “People are starting to understand the benefits of outlet malls,” he says.

Simon Property Group and BRMALLS Sign Agreement to Develop Outlet Centers in Brazil

- First Project to be in the State of Sao Paulo -

RIO DE JANEIRO, April 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Simon Property Group, Inc. ("Simon", NYSE: SPG), the world's leading retail real estate company, and BR Malls Participacoes S.A. ("BRMALLS". Bovespa: BRML3), the largest retail real estate company in Latin America announced today that they signed a 50/50 Joint Venture Agreement to develop and own Outlet Centers in Brazil.

The Joint Venture Agreement provides for the creation of a Brazilian entity that will be equally and jointly owned by BRMALLS and Simon to develop and own outlet centers in Brazil. The first outlet center of the Joint Venture (JV) is expected to be open in the State of Sao Paulo in 2013.

Simon Property Group is the world's largest developer, owner and operator of outlet shopping centers, with interests in 70 Premium Outlet Centers® located in the United States, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Simon's Premium Outlets® portfolio combines leading designer brands, high quality environments, value pricing and direct marketing to create very successful outlet destinations in major markets. The existing Premium Outlets portfolio comprises industry-leading properties including Woodbury Common Premium Outlets (New York City), Orlando Premium Outlets, Desert Hills Premium Outlets (Palm Springs, California), Las Vegas Premium Outlets, Gotemba Premium Outlets (Tokyo, Japan) and Yeoju Premium Outlets (Seoul, South Korea). Simon also owns and operates Sawgrass Mills (Miami, Florida).

BRMALLS is the largest retail real estate company in Brazil, with a portfolio comprised of 46 retail real estate properties located across all five regions of Brazil. At present, BRMALLS' portfolio consists of over 8,000 stores located in Brazil, with over 350 million visitors per year.

"We are very pleased to be partnering with a world class organization like BRMALLS to bring Simon's Premium Outlets to Brazil," said John Klein, President of Simon's Premium Outlets division. "We already welcome large numbers of Brazilian visitors to our outlet centers in the United States, such as Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, Orlando Premium Outlets and Sawgrass Mills, and we look forward to also serving these valued shoppers in Brazil."

Commenting on the JV, Carlos Medeiros, BRMALLS' CEO said, "This is the unique combination of the experience of the world's leading owner and operator of outlet centers with the local expertise of the largest shopping mall company in Brazil.  Through this JV, we will bring to the Brazilian consumer the real outlet center concept, offering national and international designer and name brands at discounted prices."

About Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE: SPG) is an S&P 100 company and the largest real estate company in the world.  The Company currently owns or has an interest in 337 retail real estate properties in North America and Asia comprising 245 million square feet.  We are headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and employ approximately 5,500 people in the U.S.  For more information, visit the Simon Property Group website at www.simon.com.

About BR Malls Participacoes S.A.
BRMALLS is an Ibovespa company and the largest integrated mall company in Latin America, with a portfolio of 46 malls, over 8,000 stores, comprising 1.5 million square meters of GLA. BRMALLS is the only shopping mall company in Brazil with a nationwide presence and targeting all income segments. BRMALLS is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and its common stock is publicly traded on the Bovespa under the symbol BRML3. For further information, please visit the BR Malls Participacoes S.A., website: www.brmalls.com.br/ri.  
SOURCE Simon Property Group, Inc.

Tanger Increases Dividend for 19th Consecutive Year

Company Release - 04/05/2012 08:30


GREENSBORO, N.C., April 5, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc.(NYSE:SKT) announced today that its Board of Directors approved a 5% increase in the annual dividend on its common shares from $.80 per share to $.84 per share. Simultaneously, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.21 per share for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012. A cash dividend of $0.21 per share will be payable on May 15, 2012 to holders of record on April 30, 2012.

The company has paid dividends each quarter since becoming a public company in May 1993.

Tanger Outlets busy on Good Friday

SOURCE: MYFOX8 WGHP