5Qs for LMC’s Sid Singer on how to rejuvenate an old center
Last year, a 55-year-old open-air center on New Jersey’s busy Route 22 retail corridor debuted a major refresh that made room for a new 72,000-sq.-ft. ShopRite, an enlarged 27,000-sq.-ft. Marshalls, and a host of new tenants that included Taco Bell, Honeygrow, and a Back Nine Golf center whose simulator swing bays stay open all day long.
In June, Levin Management Corp., released Placer.ai data showing that the Blue Star Shopping Center had drawn 3.8 million visitors in the first year of its makeover — an uncanny 40% increase over the previous year.
To learn more of the details that led to Blue Star’s traffic triumph, Chain Store Age spoke to LMC’s VP of leasing, Sid Singer.
Sid, a one-year increase that nearly doubled Blue Star’s traffic? How is that even possible?
That 40% traffic increase was real! I have to attribute much of that increase to the new ShopRite. They completely moved over into a new location in the center. Everything they did inside the store was brand new. So shopper friendly. All the aisles are wide. You don’t feel cramped.
You spent a lot of effort on updating your food and beverage lineup as some brands relocated and others were dropped, yes?
Yes, a lot of new uses in the restaurant lineup. We made some real changes along Route 22 where there were a series of pads holding restaurants that were on the tired end. We replaced a Wendy’s with a refreshed Taco Bell. An older Arby’s space was leased out to a Japanese restaurant. And Raising Cane’s will be opening soon. Honeygrow is a great new concept that took an inline space. Custom, made to order, vegan menu.
What was the driving plan for your new tenant roster?
Our vision was to put together a complementary mix where you could come into the center to dine but also be able to do your typical retail shopping. The strategy was that the new ShopRite offers daily needs, the new restaurant brands offer a casual aspect, and we brought in Planet Fitness for multiple week visits by members.
Fitness uses long were not appreciated by other tenants because they took up too much parking and didn’t much visit the other stores in a center.
The fitness mindset once held by other tenants in centers has changed. It’s a tenant that draws members in multiple times per week.
Tell us about new experiential tenants you’ve added.
We’ve added KidStrong, which uses science-based training systems for children up to age 11 with programs to help them develop both character and physical skills. We also increased the entertainment component of our roster. One new brand is i-Smash, where you can do axe-throwing and smash up old TVs with sledgehammers and bats. Another new brand we is Back Nine Golf, which stays open 24 hours a day. Some of those new visits we’re getting happen at midnight.
