Real Estate News

BFC Partners will attend the 2015 International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) RECON conference to promote and recruit luxury brands for Empire Outlets. Joseph Ferrara, principal at BFC Partners, hopes to attract retailers that currently do not have a presence in New York at all. With Empire Outlets promised to be a hot spot for tourists and locals, Mr. Ferrara is confident that retailers will recognize the opportunity presented to them at the conference. This is a short excerpt of article, so please continue onto the SI Advance to read the rest.

Empire Outlets seeking luxe brands at Las Vegas RECON Convention

Featured image courtesy of Staten Island Advance 

Casandra Properties attends ICSC RECON Conference in Las Vegas to meet with retailers interested in leasing space at Empire Outlets

The Casandra Properties booth at RECON conference in Las Vegas on May 18th was bustling with activity as retailers from around the world stopped by to speak with Directing Manager, James Prendamano about opportunities at Empire Outlets, New York City’s first outlet center.

BFC, the developer for Empire Outlets, teamed up with fashion executives Nick Wooster and Jeff Mahshie to help identify opportunities for luxe brands to locate at the complex.

“We have a packed out schedule for the time we will be out there. In the booth we will have 18-foot light box towers. The Empire Outlets’ strategy is to stand out across a 1.1 million-square-foot convention,” said Joseph Ferrara, principal at BFC Partners.

“We are hoping to attract the retailers we are specifically targeting who do not have a presence in New York at all. They are all exciting luxe apparel brands looking to break into the market here,” he added.

BFC engaged St. George based Casandra Properties as their leasing agents for Empire Outlets. Casandra Properties has already secured leases with Nordstrom Rack, H&M, Ghirardelli Chocolate, Starbucks, U.S. Polo, Gap Outlet, Banana Republic Factory Store, White House Black Market, Columbia Sportswear Company, Guess Factory Store, Wilsons Leather, G.H. Bass & Co., Lids, Obey Your Body, Innovation Luggage, Walgreens, Haagen Dazs, Krispy Kreme, Nathan’s Famous and Applebee’s.

“With half a million residents living in 58 square miles and millions of tourists riding the ferry each year, locating your brand on Staten Island makes good dollars and sense. Our plan is to make sure retailers know that,” said James Prendamano, managing director for Casandra Properties.

Said John Pitera, managing director for Casandra Properties, “Staten Island has the highest median family income in all of New York City. Our residents spend money and are loyal to their brands. We are headed to 2015 RECON in Las Vegas to showcase Staten Island and to entice them into locating here.”

Located directly adjacent to the St. George Ferry Terminal and the soon-to-be-built New York Wheel, the multimillion-dollar Empire Outlets project will include 340,000 square feet of retail space with approximately 100 designer outlet retailers, a 190-room hotel featuring a rooftop venue with expansive waterfront views, a 1,250-space structured parking garage, and a 40,000-square-foot food and beverage deck that will provide panoramic views of the Manhattan.