There is a major expansion upcoming for The Mills At Jersey Gardens in Elizabeth NJ. Simon Property Group, the new owner of the huge NJ mall has recently filed a legal notice to expand the outlet mall. The notice contains interesting insider information that makes your shopping heart beat faster. The best mall in New Jersey will be bigger and better, with a grand opening scheduled for 2018. Read on to find out what will change in this upcoming expansion.
What Are the Changes?
“An additional gross building area of 537,119 square feet, which will accommodate 392,251 square feet of gross leasable area.” This means that the total gross leasable area of the mall will be 1,684,862 square feet, making it the 2nd biggest outlet in NJ (source: Wikipedia). After the Jersey Gardens expansion, the Elizabeth outlets will only be outnumbered by Garden State Plaza in Paramus. Unless you count in American Dream Meadowlands, for which construction is still unfinished…
This huge operation means more room for “new big box stores, restaurants, retail uses, outdoor seating/patio space, an upper level seasonal outdoor dining pavilion, and a new mall entry feature,” as you can read in the notice. The new area will be integrated as part of the existing mall, located near the AMC Loews 20 movie theater. There are no announcements yet, of what this means for the directory. It is also not clear yet, which new designer brands will open a store in the new area.
Back in 2013
The last major upgrade of the mall completed in November 2013. A $30 million renovation and re-branding of one of the most the popular outlet malls in NJ. The mall received a complete make-over, resulting in a much brighter look and feel. This caused a big boost in sales and revenue and now Simon will take it a step further by adding even more retail space. After the Jersey Gardens mall was purchased by Simon in 2013, it was renamed to “The Mills at Jersey Gardens”. Will this be another successful chapter for the Simon malls?
Which Stores & Brands Can You Expect?
The big question for all Jersey shoppers? Everyone want to know which high-end stores will open in Jersey Gardens Elizabeth, but there’s no definitive answer. Yet, the speculation already began. The renovation means new brands, dining opportunities, and entertainment. To stay up to par with high-end outlet malls like Short Hills Mall and Woodbury Commons, it needs to add some big names. Woodbury Commons is well-known for its top designer brand outlets, while Jersey Gardens mall is still behind at this point. Although many claim it to be one of the best outlets in New Jersey, people still prefer the Woodbury outlets, for having the most popular designer brands in its directory. With the upcoming opening of American Dream Meadowlands, another competitor is on its way to becoming the most popular outlet mall in New Jersey.
Can Jersey Gardens Beat Its Competition?
Check the table below to see which popular fashion designers are not yet listed in the Jersey Gardens directory.
| Jersey Gardens | Woodbury Commons | Short Hills Mall |
|---|---|---|
| Armani | Armani | Armani |
| - | Burberry | Burberry |
| Calvin Klein | Calvin Klein | - |
| - | Céline | - |
| - | Dolce & Gabbana | Dolce & Gabbana |
| - | Furla | Furla |
| - | Gucci | Gucci |
| Michael Kors | Michael Kors | Michael Kors |
| - | Prada | Prada |
| - | Saint Laurent Paris | Saint Laurent Paris |
| Tommy Hilfiger | Tommy Hilfiger | - |
| - | Tory Burch | Tory Burch |
| - | Valentino | - |
| - | Versace | Versace |
Will we finally see a Gucci, Versace or Dolce & Gabbana at The Mills At Jersey Gardens?