In The News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2004
SPECIALTY RETAILER J. JILL
SELECTS BRADLEY FAIR AS WICHITA SITE
Store Opening Marks 50th Retailer At Lifestyle Center
(WICHITA, KS) – J. Jill (Nasdaq: JILL), a multi-channel specialty
retailer of women’s apparel, accessories and footwear will debut
its first Wichita store and second location in Kansas at Bradley
Fair lifestyle center. The announcement was made today by Cathy
Erickson, vice president of Laham Development, who indicated the
national retailer will open in 3,500-square-feet just south of Coldwater
Creek. Work is underway on the space with an anticipated opening
of mid-November.
According to Erickson, J. Jill is the newest tenant for the center
that lately has drawn in some of retail’s biggest names including
Coldwater Creek, Chico’s and Jos. A. Bank. “J. Jill is one of the
most sought-after concepts in retail right now,” says Erickson.
“They not only look for the right geographic location, but they
locate in centers that offer the right mix of tenants. Ultimately
what brought them to Wichita and Bradley Fair is the strength of
Bradley Fair’s co-tenancy.”
Alex Viteri, director of sales promotion at J. Jill Group echoed
Erickson’s comments. “J. Jill’s retail growth is focused on upscale
lifestyle centers with demographics that match our customer base
and tenants that complement our stores,” added Viteri. “We select
our sites very carefully and Bradley Fair was the clear choice for
our second Kansas location. We couldn’t have found a better environment.”
While retail stores are currently J. Jill’s leading growth segment,
the brand’s catalog and Internet activity accounts for half of the
company’s sales. Viteri noted that J. Jill has an existing strong
catalog and Internet customer base in the Wichita metro area. “Our
catalog and Internet business in the Wichita area are very good.
We know the J. Jill brand has awareness there and a retail store
will allow us to better serve our customers and introduce our concept
to those not familiar with us,” he stated.
J. Jill targets active, affluent women primarily between the ages
of 35 to 55. The apparel is comfortable and versatile, offered in
a range of sizes, and can be worn during the work week, weekends
and casual evenings out. Starting as direct catalog marketer, the
company began opening retail stores in 1999.They have expanded rapidly,
ending 2003 with 150 stores in 32 states that generated net sales
of $178 million. J. Jill Group anticipates opening 20 more stores
in 2004. In addition to Bradley Fair, J. Jill has a location in
Leawood, Kansas which opened in June 2002.
With the arrival of J. Jill, Erickson noted that Bradley Fair is
98% leased, a figure that is unusually high compared to an average
vacancy rate of 7% for the shopping center industry in 2003. “We
have two spaces remaining at Bradley Fair,” Erickson said. “We are
speaking with several potential tenants and expect to have announcements
soon.”
A project of Laham Development Company, Bradley Fair opened in
November 1990 and has recently added several new stores including
Chico’s and Coldwater Creek which opened this summer, Backwoods
and Bella Luna Café which opened in the spring, and Jos. A. Bank
menswear retailer, which opened in February. As Wichita’s premier
lifestyle center, the 263,000 sq.-ft. Bradley Fair offers a blend
of local, regional and national retail concepts that currently includes
11 restaurants and 38 stores. Among the focal points of the center
is a scenic open-air plaza that hosts a variety of community and
charitable events and fireworks displays. The plaza area features
a year-round fountain, two island waterfalls, a lake, extensive
landscaping and tiered seating.
Project architect for Bradley Fair is Shelden Architecture. J.P.
Weigand & Sons is exclusive leasing agent for Bradley Fair.
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