No Turn On Red

Spent some time in Atlantic City this weekend and I love the growth of retail down there. I’ve talked about the rise of retail in the city before. What really interested me this weekend was some of the new construction going on in the The Walk / Atlantic City Outlets. Recent openings include Eddie Bauer, The Children’s Place, Adidas, Easy Spirit, and BCBG Max Azria. There’s still more construction going on, including locations for T-Mobile and G By Guess (which will actually be the third Guess-related location in the city, after the Guess located in The Pier at Caesar’s and the Guess Factory location elsewhere in the outlets).

What I got a kick out of where the notes on the windows of two stores. Both Jones New York (first photo) and Maidenform (second photo) stores are opening soon, apparently:

I have got to say that, from what I could see through the windows, the Jones New York store looks great. Perfectly folded and displayed merchandise, ready for customers to come in and tear it apart!

I’ve got some more photos from Atlantic City coming later in the week.

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In September, Ann Taylor opened their new location at The Pier at Caesar’s in Atlantic City. I didn’t get to talk about it at the time, but I was so impressed by the look of the store. I think that Ann Taylor is one mall-retailer that is doing things right, as far as visual merchandising. They’ve got a great mix of ideas in the store that create a very exciting athmosphere. I can’t think of one store that I’ve walked past in any mall, or “lifestyle center”, that doesn’t look inviting and well kept. Great representation of the brand.

They’ve posted a 5.3% decrease in same store sales for December. I don’t think this says all that much about Ann Taylor itself, rather speaks more about the rough month that the industry as a whole faced.

The pictures below are from the Atlantic City location. They were taken in October.

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I haven’t been down to Atlantic City since The Pier at Caesar’s has opened. I just haven’t had the chance to make it down there. Not all the stores were open with the grand opening, so they’ve been having openings of new retailers all throughout the Summer. Today, the new Apple store opened to much fanfare. There’s good coverage, and photos, of this event over at O’Grady’s Powerpage.

See also: Is Atlantic City the next retail Mecca?

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Let me say this first, I love Atlantic City. I do enjoy playing cards and sitting in front of an Elvis slot machine. Although my last few trips haven’t been very successful, I have enjoyed watching the development of The Pier at Caesars unfold.

The Pier at Caesars is a $200 million redevelopment project of the former Ocean One Mall on the beach in Atlantic City. Boasting a mix of high and mid level retailers (Coach, Gucci and Louis Vuitton meet Ann Taylor, Quiksilver, Gymboree and Victoria’s Secret), this mall has been eagerly anticipated by tourists and residents alike.

The mall officially opened on Tuesday, although it is only the first phase. About a dozen of the ninety stores are open, with none of the resturaunts open yet. Developers say that more stores will open throughout the Summer with everything open by Labor Day. Work is still being done on some of the more decorative pieces, including fountains and billboards.

A good overview is the mall and the opening is available from the Associated Press: Once Tacky Resort City Gets More Class. The Press of Atlantic City has another, localized article about the opening which says that opening day was not all that impressive to some shoppers.

The Pier at Caesars is the second major retail project the town has. 2005 saw the opening of The Walk, aka the Atlantic City Outlets. This $76 million retail development project is beautiful – a great mix of stores that seems to be doing extremely well. From Gap to Polo Ralph Lauren to coffee at Starbucks, I have enjoyed walking this outdoor mall. Last year, the Baltimore Sun had an excellent article about the retail development of Atlantic City, with a focus on The Walk.

With all of this retail development in a city that is increasingly focusing on non-casino offerings, Atlantic City has become a great place to visit for those who are interested in visual merchandising and creative retail solutions. I have already enjoyed trips to The Walk and I am very interested in going to see The Pier at Caesars. I believe shoppers and tourists will respond well to the mix of stores available in Atlantic City.

This isn’t the end of large scale, non-casino development in Atlantic City. I can’t wait to see what the next few years bring.

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