18 more factory outlet stores commit to Gretna mall

Published Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 1:00 am / Updated at 4:10 am Omaha.com

 

This drawing depicts the layout of the $87 million Smart Outlets at Nebraska Crossing mall that will be built this year near Gretna. When completed in late October at the intersection of Interstate 80 and Nebraska Highways 6 and 31, it should have more than 60 tenants.

 

By Janice Podsada  WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

 

Nebraska Crossing's developers said Thursday they have signed an additional 18 factory outlet stores, including Ann Taylor, J.Crew, Polo Ralph Lauren, American Eagle, Gymboree and Kay Jewelers.

 

Carter's and OshKosh also will be back. Along with a Scooter's Coffee, that brings the total number of committed tenants for the planned Gretna shopping center to 25. More announcements are expected next month.

When completed in late October, the new $87 million outlet mall at the intersection of Interstate 80 and Nebraska Highways 6 and 31 will have more than 60 tenants in 350,000 square feet and offer customers a fully “wired” shopping experience.

The existing 170,000-square-foot mall, built in 1993, is being readied for demolition. The replacement, which will be new from the ground up, is expected to open Oct. 31.

In May, the mall's developers — Frank Krejci of Omaha's Century Development and Rodney Yates of Arizona-based OTB Destination LLC — said they had signed leases with Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, Chico's, the Gap, Lane Bryant and White House Black Market.

At the time, Yates promised to announce additional retailers over subsequent months.

Those announcements never materialized, Yates told The World-Herald on Thursday, because potential retailers did not like the redevelopment plan, which would have added retail space on the mall's south side, but kept intact the existing mall's configuration: a quarter-mile strip.

“The problem was none of the retailers wanted to be at either end of the strip,” Yates said. “They all wanted to be in the middle.”

As a result, the developers decided to build a high-tech outlet mall from the ground up.

The mall also has been renamed and will debut as Smart Outlets at Nebraska Crossing when it opens.