A Dick's Sporting Goods store will join previously announced Belk, Dillard's and Hecht's as an anchor at Northlake Mall in Charlotte, N.C. The Dick's commitment was made public today at the groundbreaking for the 1.1 million square foot, two-level retail center scheduled to open Sept. 15, 2005.
The store is expected to be more than twice the size of the 30,000- square-foot Dick's store at Birkdale Village, seven miles north of the Reames Road interchange with I-77.
The company has been rolling out a large-store prototype like the one expected to be constructed at NorthLake. The roughly 75,000-square-foot stores are two levels and can expand the merchandise assortment by a third or more from a traditional Dick's store. Two such stores have opened, one in Pittsburgh in 2002 and one last month in Richmond, Va.
Charlotte's SouthPark Mall recently announced that Galyan's Trading Company Inc. will join the south Charlotte mall in place of the former Sears store, which closed in June. Galyan's anticipates opening in late 2004.
Northlake Mall, featuring up to 150 shops and restaurants, is projected to generate 2,500 jobs over the 23-month construction period, along with 2,000 permanent positions once the center opens. A theater multiplex — the operator will be announced shortly — is anticipated for the mall's fifth anchor location.
“Today we take the next step in bringing an unsurpassed shopping experience to customers throughout the growing north Charlotte market,” said Steve Kieras, group vice president for Taubman Centers, Inc., the project's developer. “Dick's Sporting Goods broadens the exceptional anchor lineup designed to address the needs and active lifestyles of the families living in what is one of the most attractive areas in the nation.”
The center's four announced anchors will build two-level stores: Dillard's 190,000 square feet, Belk 180,000 square feet, Hecht's 165,000 square feet, and Dick's 76,000 square feet.
Northlake Mall fills a significant retail void in the booming Charlotte market. “While the strongest growth continues in the northwest quadrant of the metropolitan area, the existing retail projects are concentrated to the south,” commented Kieras. “This new state-of-the-art center will provide a comprehensive, convenient shopping destination for the growing northern communities that surround us, especially with the completion of I-485.”
