Burlington, VT Responding to customer feedback and retailer comment, Burlington Town Center is getting a facelift.
A combination of market research and anecdotal customer comments made it evident that visitors thought the mall was hidden from view and needed a new look. The unassuming entrance to Burlington Town Center, located on the Church Street Marketplace, effectively disguised the larger-than-expected 300,000 square-foot shopping center within. Many visitors did not enter the malls doors because they did not know that behind them were some of the nations most popular retailers including Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Coldwater Creek, J.Crew, Ann Taylor LOFT and, soon, Macys, which opens Sept. 9.
When completed in mid-September, the facelift will feature attractive new graphics and signage, making the center more visible to customers downtown, while still maintaining the classic integrity of the Church Street Marketplace.
We recognize that having General Growth Properties as a partner will only help Church Street thrive and make our downtown stronger, said Ron Redmond, executive director of the Church Street Marketplace Weve already worked together to create a joint marketing agreement and will be combining efforts in the near future to make long-term capital improvements.
The new exterior color, along with new lighting and banners, will introduce new excitement and vitality to the Marketplace and identify some retailers inside the enclosed shopping center.
This project provides a new energy for Downtown Burlington, further enhancing the premier shopping and entertainment destination in the Lake Champlain region, said Dan Latcheran, general manager of Burlington Town Center. Weve listened to our customers feedback in order to provide the most enjoyable shopping experience possible. Interior signage and graphics throughout the mall will be upgraded using colors that will make them more visible and easier to read. The interior upgrades include improvements to the parking garage as well.
In addition to the cosmetic upgrades to Burlington Town Center, several new retailers have opened their doors recently; with more to follow soon. J. Jill, a national retailer of sophisticated casual lifestyle apparel, accessories and shoes for women opened its doors in June 2006. Lids and MasterCuts opened in spring 2006. Additional stores will be opening in late fall 2006 including Hollister Co., a surfer-inspired collection of mens and womens fashion for the teens and twenties set, and Select Comfort, creators of the sleep number bed. General Growth Properties is currently in negotiation with even more retailers for 2007 occupancy. Those will be announced as negotiations become final.
Burlington Town Center is owned and managed by General Growth Properties, Inc., the second largest U.S.-based publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). General Growth currently has ownership interest and management responsibility for a portfolio of 209 regional shopping malls in 44 states, as well as ownership in planned community developments and commercial office buildings. The company portfolio totals approximately 200 million square feet of retail space and includes over 18,000 retailers nationwide. General Growth Properties, Inc. is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GGP. For more information, please visit the company Web site at www.generalgrowth.com.
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