Burlington Coat Factory, Chick-fil-A, The Habit Burger Grill, Jersey Mike’s, Buckle and Charlotte Russe will soon join The Outlets at Legends.
RED Development, the developers of The Outlets at Legends, recently announced the addition of the six new retailers along with 75,000 square feet of new retail space that is currently under construction.
The revitalization of the Reno-Sparks economy is helping to spur this development.
“With the large companies like Switch and Google and Tesla there is a definite buzz in the economy,” Claire Petrie, general manager for The Outlets at Legends, said in an interview with NNBW. “…This center has also been reacting to what the local market has been requesting and that is these big retailers.”
The additional 75,000 square feet of retail space is being built in a vacant lot adjacent to the Galaxy Sparks IMAX Luxury + Theater and behind the Nike store. Lepori Construction is the general contractor on the project. The Burlington Coat Factory will be the anchor tenant in the expanded space and is expected to open in spring of 2018. Habit Burger Grill and Jersey Mike’s are both scheduled to open later this year and will also reside in the expanded space. Buckle and Charlotte Russe will be located within the existing center and are scheduled to open this summer. Chick-fil-A will open its new standalone restaurant in fall 2017.
These new retailers will add an estimated 200 new jobs.
There are currently 37 retailers at the Outlets at Legends. According to Petrie, the center has an 84 percent occupancy rate and an 86 percent leased rate with the addition for Buckle and Charlotte Russe. Currently, 40,000 square feet of the new 75,000-square-foot expansion is leased. The rest is under negotiation or for lease.
The Sparks Marina and Legends area is experiencing a flurry of activity. A five-story luxury apartment complex called Waterfront at the Marina Apartments is currently under construction along with a 102-room Hampton Inn & Suites By Hilton and a 104-room The Residence Inn by Marriott. The two hotels are expected to open by spring 2018. Petrie expects the new hotels will bring more tourists to the area.
“We have a lot of local population that visit us, but having hotels right here as our neighbors will be great for us,” Petrie said.
While many national retailers such as Macy’s, Sears, Kmart, JCPenney and many more have announced store closures around the country, the Outlets at Legends has not been impacted by these closures.
“So far, it has not,” Petrie said when asked about how the national closures are affecting the Sparks shopping center. “It has been the opposite, it has been a good year. In fact, we have brought more stores to the center.”
H&M opened in The Outlets at Legends on April 6 and F21 red and Fragrance Outlet opened toward the end of 2016.
According to a press release by RED Development, retailers at The Outlets at Legends reported a year-over-year sales growth at more than 10 percent, compared to a national average of 5.6 percent.
“The year-over-year sales are looking really good,” Petrie said. “That bodes well for us and it also encourages other retailers to look at the center.”
There is also room for further expansion within the outlets.
“We have six other pads that are slated for future development,” Petrie said.
The Outlets at Legends is currently a 1 million-square-foot development. The Outlets will total 1.2 million square feet once it is fully built out.