Gwinnett Place Mall

infobox shopping mall
shopping_mall_name = Gwinnett Place

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|200px
caption =
location = Duluth, Georgia, USA
opening_date = 1984
developer = Simon Properties
manager = Simon Properties
owner = Simon Properties
number_of_stores =
number_of_anchors = 4
floor_area = convert|1278000|sqft|m2|abbr=on
floors = 2
website = [http://www.simon.com/mall/mall_info.aspx?ID=205 Gwinnett Place Mall]
parking =

Gwinnett Place Mall is a super-regional shopping center located in Duluth, Georgia, in Gwinnett County. [ [http://www.simon.com/Mall/LeasingSheet/Gwinnett_Place.pdf Gwinnett Place Opening/Location Information] ] For the first 16 years, Gwinnett Place was the leading mall in the region, drawing shoppers from as far away as South Carolina and centering what was then one of the fastest growing counties in the nation.

Beginning

When it first opened in early 1984, its original anchors were Rich's, Davison's and Sears. In 1986, Mervyn's joined the mall and Davison's was changed over to Macy's. Further anchor shuffling occurred in 1993 and 1995 when Parisian joined the mall and Mervyn's left the mall, respectively. Macy's and Rich's joined teams after years to form Rich's-Macy's until 2006 when they separated and Macy's took over. JCPenney took over the Mervyn's spot the following year. In these aspects, the mall developed on a very similar fashion as Town Center Mall on the northwest side of Atlanta, and were in many ways sister malls. However, one of the distinct features about Gwinnett Place Mall is the Macy's (former Rich's), which features an exterior almost entirely covered in mirrored glass.

Today

While still successful, the mall was seriously challenged by the opening of Mall of Georgia in 1999 and Discover Mills in 2001 (both also owned by Simon) which both hurt Gwinnett Place Mall. Not only did the mall take a large part of its affluent customer base and all of its out-of-state shopping base, but also the mall has been unable to attract any new anchors for several years to fill the void of the former Davison's/Macy's, which was closed in 2003. This will be particularly challenging considering the mall contains five anchors. While the mall has the population base to support it, much worry is in the future of this mall because of the glut of malls around it and the major demographic shift of the surrounding area. However, the Atlanta area has historically had a very low failure rate of its major malls and the mall continues to prosper, though not at the original levels it once had.

ears Prototype

In January of 2007, Sears unveiled a prototype on the Gwinnett Place store. The store is modeled to look like a classier department store, complete with a "showroom" like atmosphere and a classic logo. [ [http://www.wikigwinnett.com/content.cfm?Action=wiki&WikiID=3754&CFID=3521004&CFTOKEN=97818439 Sears thrives after $5 million renovation in the Wiki Guide to Gwinnett ] ] [ [http://www.labelscar.com/retail-news/sears-duluth-concghfg

Mega Mart

In February 2008 it was announced that the former Davison's/Macy's location will become the first US location of South Korea's discount retailer Mega Mart. The first floor will be a grocery, the second will contain department store goods, and the third floor a food court and event facility. The store is slated to open in the spring of 2009. [ [http://www.ajc.com/gwinnett/content/metro/stories/2008/02/13/macy_0214.html]

Anchors

*JCPenney (82,253 sq ft.)
*Belk (126,822 sq ft.) (former Parisian)
*Macy's (232,000 sq ft.)
*Sears (185,513 sq ft.)

Former Anchors

*Davisons

References

External links

* [http://www.simon.com/mall/mall_info.aspx?ID=205 Gwinnett Place Mall Website]

* http://www.GwinnettPlaceCID.com