Simon Group adds to mall's lifestyle center

A major renovation, more lifestyle center stores along the Glenstone Avenue corridor and a redesign of the Battlefield Road entrance are around the corner, mall officials announced Feb. 14.

The entire project, dubbed Phase II of the mall’s plan for improvement, is expected to be complete by the fourth quarter. Phase I took place in 2003 and 2004 when Chico’s, Ann Taylor Loft, Coldwater Creek, Jos. A Bank and Z Boutique were added as lifestyle center tenants. The new lifestyle stores will be constructed to the north, next to Ruby Tuesday.

The renovation, mall manager Rob Rector said, is designed to “marry the mall with the lifestyle center.”

The project – Simon Property Group’s largest capital investment in the mall since 1982 – will involve new ceiling treatments, flooring in earth tones, more private and comfortable seating, expanded and family restrooms, new signage, an expanded food court and more short-term leasing carts.

Officials with Simon, Battlefield Mall’s parent company, would not disclose an estimated cost for the project, saying only that it is a multimillion dollar investment.

The expensive plan hasn’t been without losses, however.

The Gap, The Limited, Eddie Bauer, The Bombay Co. and Ozark Mountain Birdhouse all closed amid lifestyle center and higher lease rate speculation. Mall officials haven’t commented about lease rates or about which retailers may be headed to Springfield during the project.

Express and Victoria’s Secret are in temporary locations during renovations. Express Men and Baker’s Shoes also have closed temporarily, and rumors that Pottery Barn and Banana Republic will open have been squashed by corporate spokespeople.

Varsity Contractors in Springfield is handling the construction work for Phase II. Wichita, Kan.-based The Law Co. is the general contractor, and Suttle Mindlin of St. Louis is the architect.

Lifestyle trend

In the next several months, retail space along the east wing will be spliced, with stores facing outward that have no interior entrances backing up against stores with no exterior entrances.

Simon spokesperson Les Morris said the property group has been exploring the advantages of “outdoor villages,” which combine outdoor and indoor shops and often have elaborate landscaping, for some time, and Battlefield Mall has been at the forefront of that exploration.

“That’s one of the strategies we’re pursuing,” he said. “You have really the best of both worlds.”

Simon malls across the country have been adding outdoor retail, most recently in Austin, Texas, and Jacksonsville, Fla.

Terry McEwen, president of Memphis-based Poag & McEwen Lifestyle Centers, has researched the growing trend and said Battlefield Mall’s renovation could be in response to competition.

“There are a lot of malls now that are trying to add a lifestyle wing in order to compete with the lifestyle centers,” he said.

In Springfield, the prime lifestyle center competition is Brentwood Center, across the street, and the newer Battlefield Market Place a few blocks west of the mall.

McEwen said maintenance and security costs for lifestyle centers are often cheaper than indoor stores, but the overall cost to construct them is higher, averaging $200 to $300 per square foot.

The main attraction of lifestyle centers is convenience – shoppers can park in front of a store and shop without ever entering the mall, he said.

Rector said the success of the mall’s existing lifestyle stores, coupled with the customers’ persistent desire to up their shopping experience, were what drove mall officials to create an entire outdoor wing.

As one of the mall’s original outdoor retailers, Coldwater Creek has enjoyed success since it opened, due mostly to the “added exposure of being front and center,” said corporate spokesman David Gunter.

“It’s been extremely positive in terms of store performance,” he said. “We really see this as a savvy approach to embracing a shopping concept that is extremely popular across the nation.”

Gunter said the outdoor entrance is especially popular with Coldwater’s demographic of shoppers ages 35 to 60.

Lease rates at Coldwater’s outdoor stores are virtually the same as its indoor stores, Gunter said, but some maintenance costs are saved with lifestyle stores.