Camp leverages strategic partnership to expand footprint
Camp is growing its portfolio by putting down roots in two premiere shopping centers.
Leveraging its partnership with Simon Property Group, the family-friendly, experiential retailer will open its eighth location in the high-performing King of Prussia shopping center in Pennsylvania’s northern Philadelphia suburbs. The store is slated to open in December, just in time for the holiday shopping season.
Camp’s ninth location, opening in early 2025, will be in The Galleria in Houston — one of Simon’s premiere properties and Texas’ largest shopping center. (Camp’s Houston opening will benefit from the property’s current remodeling project.)
The new stores will exceed 10,000 sq. ft., and feature the quintessential Camp experience highlights, including retail space called “The Canteen,” which will be filled with toys, clothing and accessories. Both stores will also offer a slime creation station, a “Splatter Room” for painting, a “CAMPitheater” performance space for live events, and a party room.
They will also feature Camp’s signature “Magic Door” passage that transports shoppers into a vast room used for ticketed immersive experiences. The retailer did not reveal the theme of its King of Prussia store’s first experience.
These new stores are not the first to operate in Simon properties. Camp and Simon kicked off their partnership in February 2022, when the retailer opened its Simon’s Burlington Mall location in Burlington, Mass.
“Camp has always envisioned an alternative version of the family retail experience, and working with an operator like Simon who understands retail better than anyone, we are poised for the next step in this journey,” said Jenica Myszkowski, Camp’s CEO. “We can’t wait to bring Camp magic to even more customers nationwide, continuing our commitment to making long-lasting memories for kids and grown-ups alike.”
The newest stores further reinforce both partners’ commitment to delivering unique and exclusive retail experiences.
“Simon’s mission is to elevate and reinvent the shopping experience in modern and innovative ways for our shoppers and the communities we serve,” said Zachary Beloff, VP, business development and leasing, at Simon. “We are focused on curating new experiences, like Camp, and offering a one-stop destination for families to shop, dine and play. We are excited to work with Camp to bring their newest immersive experiences to Simon centers.”
Further fueling Camp’s growth, the retailer’s investors made a new equity investment. “Camp has proven its ability to successfully create immersive retail experiences that engage and delight families,” said David Abrams, managing partner of Velocity Capital Management. “We are excited to invest additional capital as the company expands its reach and footprint in partnership with Simon.”
Camp, which launched its first store in 2018, currently operates seven locations across Georgia, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Texas and Chicago, as well as an e-commerce site.