Topshop Topman and Zara will open flagship stores in Aventura Mall’s new three-level wing in November, as the shopping center aims to boost its experiential offerings with more food, art and a VIP lounge, The Real Deal has learned.
Topshop Topman’s two-level store at the mall owned by Turnberry Associates and Simon Property Group will mark the British brand’s first standalone store in Florida. The retailer’s offerings will include Topshop for women and Topman for men.
Zara, which previously operated a store at Aventura Mall but left in 2012, is returning with a 34,000-square-foot, two-level store within the mall’s 315,000-square-foot expansion. Pomellato and Under Armour also will open in the wing, as will restaurants CVI.CHE 105, Serafina, Pubbelly Sushi, Harry’s Pizzeria and Blue Bottle. The dining spots will have indoor-outdoor spaces in a piazza.
“We’re focusing a lot on food because that is obviously what we need on our property,” Jackie Soffer, co-chair and CEO of Turnberry Associates told TRD. Other eateries are also coming, but have yet to sign leases, she said.
In addition, a new third-floor food hall will open with upscale options, including 12 in-line restaurants and three kiosks, Soffer said.
More beauty-oriented options will also open, including a spot dedicated to manicures.
“A lot of these tenants that are leasing we’ve been wanting to put in the property for years, but didn’t have the square footage,” she said. “Now we’re able to fit everyone in.”
In keeping with the nationwide trend to offer visitors experiences along with shopping, amid heated competition with the Internet, the new wing on the east side of mall will also have a 7,000-square-foot VIP Lounge on its rooftop. The space will allow visitors to play pool, watch TV, hang out, and take advantage of dining and bar areas and conference rooms for private events. It will also have space for visitors to meet with stylists, Soffer said.
“It’s kind of like having a SoHo House on top of the mall,” she said, adding that plans are still preliminary.
Aventura Mall’s wing has been under construction for more than year by Turnberry Construction and Plaza Construction. In January 2016, the mall’s owners closed on $213.5 million in financing for the expansion.
Designed by architect Carlos Zapata, the new wing will feature an 84-foot by 50-foot glass wall, with a 350-foot skylight with views of the rooftop terrace. It will also have a nearly 93-foot tall sculpture by Belgian artist Carsten Höller that Aventura Mall visitors will be able to slide down. The outdoor piazza will feature such art as Gorillas in the Mist by The Haas Brothers, designed for the mall.
Aventura Mall, at 19501 Biscayne Boulevard, is owned 66 percent by Turnberry and 33 percent by Simon. Anchored by Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom and Macy’s, it has more than 300 stores, including Givenchy, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Fendi, Burberry, Apple and H&M. The mall also has several restaurants and a 24-screen AMC Movie Theatre with IMAX.
The mall first opened in 1983, then doubled its size in 1997, and in 2007 added Nordstrom and a three-level wing of high-end stores. It has more than 2.7 million square feet of space, making it the third largest shopping mall in the United States, behind Mall of the America in Minnesota and King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania.
Turnberry’s other properties include the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and Turnberry Ocean Club, which is currently under construction. Turnberry is also partnering with LeFrak on SoLē Mia, a $4 billion, 183-acre master-planned community in North Miami that broke ground in 2015. The Soffer, LeFrak joint venture will include 12 residential buildings, 4,390 residential units, nearly 1 million square feet of commercial space and 37 acres of parks when completed.