Time Warner Center shops enjoy strong sales

Sales may be off at malls around the country, but The Shops at Columbus Circle are seeing strong sales. Despite predictions that the Time Warner Center mall would fail, it’s now one of the country’s best performing shopping centers. The Related Companies’ mall earned an average of $1,500 per square foot last year, a 25 percent increase from 2006. Traffic increased by 10 percent, to over 16 million visitors; foreign tourists increased by 25 percent. Total sales increased 15 percent to top $300 million. Related plans to replace stores that earn less than $1,000 a square foot.