[shadowbat2]

Old article, but mentions the stores that have committed so far....

Retail giants lining up, American Dream says
December 7, 2014

http://www.northjersey.com/news/reta...48277?page=all


The developer, Triple Five, circulated a promotional brochure with renderings showcasing many high-end retailers.

FAO Schwarz will leave its iconic Manhattan location for the Meadowlands, Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor department stores will anchor a collection of luxury boutiques, and Cirque du Soleil will establish a permanent theater for Las Vegas-style shows at the American Dream project, according to information the developer of the long-delayed project is circulating as it holds meetings this week to woo retail tenants.

Triple Five, the developer of the project, is telling prospective tenants that more than 50 major retailers, including such mall mainstays as Victoria’s Secret and Gap, have committed to renting space at American Dream, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2016. More than a dozen restaurants and a permanent Cirque du Soleil theater are also committed, according to a 67-page leasing brochure and the project’s monthly status update for November.

While a developer’s promotional materials about prospective tenants should be viewed skeptically until the project’s opening day, the list of tenants Triple Five has lined up shows that parts of the American Dream will compete directly with North Jersey’s existing malls for tenants.

American Dream, with its planned indoor water and amusement parks, aquarium and other entertainment components, will be unlike any other North Jersey mall, but it is looking to fill its retail wings with many of the retailers that already have stores at North Jersey shopping centers. The project could succeed in luring retailers entering the market for the first time away from Westfield Garden State Plaza and other Paramus malls.

The leasing brochure, which includes several dozen multicolored renderings of the interior and exterior portions of the project, shows Triple Five is moving forward to court tenants even though the financing for the project still relies on public bond offerings that have not been finalized. American Dream’s financing is being backed in part by state tax breaks and municipal bonds.

Triple Five, like all developers of shopping malls, must walk a tightrope: It does not want to announce deals until they are signed, but needs to spread the word about big-name tenants to persuade other retailers to get on board.

=============
.... The project status update says that Saks Fifth Avenue plans to open a 140,000-square-foot store at American Dream and that Lord & Taylor will open a 110,000-square-foot store. Drawings for the project show those department stores flanking a hotel.

The document also says FAO Schwarz will relocate its flagship New York store from Fifth Avenue to the new Meadowlands project, and that the American Dream FAO store will be the only FAO location in the world.

=============
.... Saks and Lord & Taylor are described as being part of a luxury wing that would be called “The Collections at American Dream.” The luxury wing would have valet parking, overseas shipping for international customers, a concierge desk, and package storage and delivery for “hands-free shopping.” Those are similar to customer service amenities that other North Jersey malls have implemented recently.

The mall, in its leasing brochure, also says it will have a particular focus on attracting Chinese tourists.

According to the Triple Five promotional materials, the developer is in active negotiations with five department store outlet brands — Bloomingdale’s Outlet, Lord & Taylor Outlet, Nordstrom Rack, Saks Off Fifth, and Century 21* — for space in the project.

Triple Five’s project status update also says it has “active sit-down restaurant deals” with several classic New York restaurants, including the Carnegie Deli and El Vez, part of the Stephen Starr Restaurant Group, the upscale Bice Ristorante, as well as a deal with the upscale Manhattan steakhouse chain STK.

This isn’t the first time in the long history of the Meadowlands shopping and entertainment project that names of high-profile retail tenants have surfaced. The original developer, Mills Corp., was issuing press releases about signed tenants as it was running out of money to complete the project.

The project has been in the works for more than a dozen years. After years of considering proposals for the Meadowlands site, the Meadowlands sports authority selected Mills Corp. as the developer in 2003. Work began on the complex in 2005, but hit a snag when Mills bailed out and was replaced by Colony Capital. In 2010 the chief lenders on the project ousted Colony as the developer and Triple Five was chosen as the new developer in May 2011.

*for those outside the NYC area, Century 21 is department store chain based in lower Manhattan (across from the WTC) that is known for it's off-price designer brands and huge crowds. They have a collection of stores in NYC, North Jersey, and Long Island, have recently opened a store in Center City Philadelphia, and have a store planned for Florida