New Belz stores chiming in

Pauline Bell

Thursday, Sept. 12, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

The Belz Factory Outlet World will double in size later this month when a 275,000-square-foot expansion housing 39 new retailers opens its doors.

Mall II is scheduled for a soft opening on Sept. 26 at 10 a.m. with grand opening ceremonies in October, said Andrew Groveman, president of Belz Factory Outlet Division. The expansion is located south of the existing mall and connects to it.

Indications are the expansion, which will increase the size of the mall to 530,000 square feet, could be ready for an even softer opening as early as next week.

"The opening of the second phase will round out our merchandising mix," said Groveman. "Consumers will now be able to shop at designer manufacturers' outlets as well as many more upscale outlets."

He said the designer outlets are important to the mix because "consumers like to do their shopping and be able to meet their needs all at one stop. It's more convenient and that's what will happen now," Groveman said from his offices in Memphis, Tenn.

Several of the designer names with stores in the expansion phase include Reebok, Esprit, American Eagle Outfitters, Group USA, Waterford/Wedgewood and Lenox. Other tenants include American Outpost, American Tourister, Casual Corner, El Portal, Olga/Warner's, Royal Doulton and Spiegel.

The mall, located on Las Vegas Boulevard South at Warm Springs Road, is completely leased and is home to 70 retailers including Nike, Oshkosh, Levi's, Ruff Hewn, Bugle Boy, Stride Rite, Carter's and Danskin.

In 1995, Belz had more than 6 million visitors. "Conservatively speaking our traffic will increase over 25 percent (with the expansion)," Groveman said. "Our goal for the Las Vegas market was to be the shopping destination for the locals and tourists alike as it relates to anybody who's looking to get high-quality merchandise at a discount price. With the opening of Phase II we are going to be able to deliver that to the shoppers of Las Vegas."

He declined to disclose the tourist-local ratio, but said Belz officials have been "pleasantly surprised" at the local traffic which he described only as "fantastic."

Phase II boasts a carousel in its center court. Rides are $1 apiece.

Groveman declined to state specifics of Belz' future plans for Las Vegas. He said it wouldn't include another location, but didn't rule out the possibility of another expansion at the present site. "We're certainly evaluating whether to expand it again," he said.

The mall is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Belz is a developer and manager of factory outlet malls in the United States. In addition to Las Vegas, the Memphis-based company operates Factory Outlet Worlds in Orlando, Fla., and Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and Factory Outlet Malls in Lakeland, Tenn., and Wentzville, Mo. Belz also plans to build outlet malls in St. Augustine, Fla., and Puerto Rico.

The Las Vegas location is the second largest behind Orlando which boasts 727,000 square feet. The Las Vegas location is also second in sales behind Orlando, Groveman said, but he did not disclose sales figures.

Belz is a multifaceted real estate company with more than 25 million square feet of developed property including more than 40 shopping complexes, ranging from community shopping centers to regional malls. It also boasts industrial, warehouse and distribution facilities and developments, office parks and corporate campuses, hotels like The Peabody House in Mempnis and Orlando, and residential developments.