Bal Harbour Shops
Bal Harbour Shops is an open-air shopping mall in Bal Harbour, a suburb of Miami, Florida. With sales of $3,000 per square foot, it is one of the highest grossing shopping centers in the world.[1]
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| Location | Bal Harbour, Florida, US |
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| Coordinates | 25.88825°N 80.12519°W |
| Address | 9700 Collins Avenue |
| Opening date | 1965 |
| Developer | Whitman Family |
| Management | Whitman Family |
| Owner | Whitman Family |
| Architect | Herbert H. Johnson & Associates |
| No. of stores and services | Approximately 100 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 2 |
| Total retail floor area | 450,000 sq ft (42,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 3 |
| Website | www |
The anchor stores are Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Notable other retailers include Salvatore Ferragamo, Alexander McQueen, Audemars Piguet, Balenciaga, Balmain, Bottega Veneta, Brioni, Bvlgari, Chanel, Chloe, Chopard, Dolce & Gabbana, Ermenegildo Zegna, Escada, Fendi, Giorgio Armani, Goyard, Gucci, Harry Winston, Missoni, Miu Miu, Prada, Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney, Tod's, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Versace.[2]
History
From 1954 to 1962, Stanley Whitman travelled around the U.S. studying shopping centers.[1]
In 1957, Whitman acquired the site for $2 per square foot, then a record price for retail property.[1] It was the site of a former United States Army barracks and World War II prisoner of war camp.[1] He built a non-traditional open-air shopping mall due to the climate.[1]
At first, Whitman hired architect Victor Gruen, but then fired him and hired Herb Johnson, based in Miami.[1]
In 1965, the shopping center opened.[1] It included stores of FAO Schwarz and Abercrombie & Fitch.
In 1971, Neiman Marcus opened a store at the center.[1]
In 1976, Saks Fifth Avenue opened a store at the center.[1]
In 1977, Gucci opened a store at the center. By 1987, it realized sales of $1,000 per square foot.[1]
In 1983, a second level was added.[1]
Overall sales at the shopping center rose from $1,000 per square foot in 1997, 5 times the national average, to $1,350 per square foot in 2002, $2,000 per square foot in 2008, $2,730 per square foot in 2012, and $3,000 per square foot in 2015.[1]
In 2012, the Whitman family struck a land swap deal with Church by the Sea.[3] Bal Harbour Shops agreed to build a 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) church.[4]
In January 2013, Bal Harbour Shops announced an equity partnership with Swire Properties to jointly develop the 500,000-square-foot (46,000 m2) retail component of Brickell CityCentre in downtown Miami.[5]
In 2017, a 340,000 square feet (32,000 m2) expansion was approved.[6]
References
- MOIN, DAVID (November 14, 2015). "Bal Harbour Shops at 50: Building by the Sea" (PDF). Women's Wear Daily.
- "Store Directory". Bal Harbour Shops.
- Lilly, Christiana (September 18, 2012). "Bal Harbour Shops Strikes Deal With Church By The Sea For Retail Space Expansion". HuffPost.
- "Bal Harbour Shops expansion approved after decade in the works". May 18, 2017.
- "2013 Look Back: Real Estate". American City Business Journals. December 27, 2013.
- "Bal Harbour Shops expansion approved after decade in the works". Miami Herald. May 17, 2017.
