WEST PALM BEACH, Fla—- As it approached its eighth anniversary last fall, CityPlace, the star of Florida’s lifestyle centers located in Downtown West Palm Beach, shifted gears and steered its retail focus into an aggressive new direction. The 72-acre, mixed-use property with 600,000 square feet of retail, restaurants and entertainment venues that opened to national acclaim in October 2000 began ten months ago to adjust the balance of its tenant categories by adding more weight to its branded fashion assortments. Special emphasis was given to hip, active brands that offer a creative selection of casual clothing and accessories, such as Nine West, Tommy Bahama, Pac Sun, Lucky Brand Jeans, Quiksilver and Journeys.
A few of the fashion retailers hit their stride right off the mark, as soon as CityPlace opened to the public. White House/Black Market, in a prime location at the intersection of the two main streets, across from Macy*s, was the chain’s top performer in the country in its first year of operation (today there are 95 locations), and it continues to rank among its top performers. This year the store reached $1 million in sales as of August 1st, and the owners expect to reach $2 million in sales by year’s end, the highest sales total in the store’s 5 ½-year history. The company expanded the CityPlace store a year ago to 2,440 square feet in response to the robust sales.
Florida-based Bolufé, with its hip, edgy styles geared to teens and twenty-somethings, recently moved to a larger space (2,350 square feet) in a prime position on the plaza opposite Starbucks. Its devotees, rapidly growing in number, have supported the store since it first opened its doors in December, 2000.
“CityPlace is playing to its strengths, to its greatest success stories,” said Kim A. Krieg of Scottsdale, AZ-based MKJ Advisors, LLC, who helped bring Tommy Bahama to the project. “It’s a smart strategy that’s working. Some of their newer fashion retailers are the best brands in the marketplace today. Every center in the country wants them to be a part of their project, and they’re coming to CityPlace. There’s a reason.”
This past season, CityPlace’s Armani A/X, Anthropologie, BCBG, Ann Taylor and Betsey Johnson all experienced a significant increase in volume of sales over the previous season.
“Our new emphasis on fashion has already resulted in much more cross-shopping and a longer average visit time to our stores and restaurants,” added Hudson. “The average visit to CityPlace is 3 ½ hours, which is twice as long as the average trip to a conventional shopping mall. It’s a downtown environment, and there are many more diversions than you’d find in a typical mall. You don’t just slip in to buy socks and go home. The attraction of the restaurant and entertainment options boost the average amount of time spent here, but the configuration of the public spaces also encourage a great deal more browsing and cross-shopping. It’s healthy all around.”
The addition of City Place South Tower, adds approximately 300,000 rentable square feet of office space and bring an estimated 1,500 people with much higher than average disposable income to the property during business hours. The 18-story tower located on the southeast corner of CityPlace is considered to be the new benchmark for luxury commercial space in Florida. It features the most advanced technology, including fiber optics, high-speed internet access and state-of-the-art disaster protection systems that provide tenants with uninterrupted access to vital computer files and redundant power source capability.
Throughout, City Place South Tower of West Palm Beach features its own permanent art collection specially curated to give each corridor a unique, elegant and welcoming ambiance.
Other features include:
• Stunning two-story lobby with porte-cochere entrance
• 24-hour attended lobby with valet parking
• Six exclusive elevators with owner-controlled access for total privacy
• 24-hour controlled-access parking in covered garage
• Private meeting facility
• Ninth-floor Club deck – 3/4-acre tropical oasis with:
• Resort-style, heated, Infinity-edge pool and hot tub alcove
• Sunning beds
• Wi-Fi access throughout
Poolside outdoor party room complete with grill, bar and seating
Ninth-floor spa & FULLY equipped fitness center:
• Precor ellipticals and Cybex equipment
• Individual entertainment monitors on cardio machines
• Yoga/Kickboxing Studio
• Spa treatment room
• Sauna and steam rooms
• Private training and classes available
Party Room Lounge, featuring:
• Custom billiard area
• Video gaming area
• Catering kitchen that can service a sit-down dinner as well as a cocktail affair
• Outdoor chef table to expand a party from the party room to the pool deck
• Large-screen TV
Wood floor that can be cleared for a dance area
Company Name:
City Place South Tower
Address:
550 Okeechobee Boulevard
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Phone:
(561) 835-0600
Email:
[email protected]
Visit our site:
http://www.cityplacesouthtower.com/
Auther:
Ivannia
