River Cities Business Journal: Real Estate

LAKE HAVASU CITY - Long-time customers of Lake Havasu City's J.C. Penney will hardly recognize the store at its new home at The Shops at Lake Havasu.

“Everything's bigger,” said Store Manager Erick Schmidt. “This store is going to offer so many amenities the other store didn't.”

Once customers get over the shear size of the new J.C. Penney - at over 100,000 square feet it's three times bigger than the old store - they'll discover many services and features the old store simply didn't have room for.

New offerings include a custom home decorating service, expanded home department with more lamps, window treatments and decorator items, and a house wares department that includes a wider selection of dish ware, small appliances and bedding.

Customers will find a wider selection of everything in every department, Schmidt said. The store will stock more colors and sizes in its clothing lines.

“And there will be a lot of brands we didn't carry at the old store that we'll carry now,” Schmidt said.

This store also is enhanced by in-store specialty shops, including a Sephora cosmetics shop and a concept shop that offers clothing and housewares from J.C. Penney's mid-range American Living line.

“It's a neat brand. It's very middle America,” Schmidt said.

Other new amenities include an 18-station beauty salon, an optical shop and a portrait studio. The fine jewelry department is expanding from one bay to four with raised cases and places for customers to sit while they shop, Schmidt said. Both men's and women's dressing rooms have adjoining waiting areas with comfortable seating and plasma televisions.

The store will employ about 140 full- and part-time staff - as opposed to 50-60 at the old location - who will be trained with a heightened emphasis on customer service, Schmidt said.

J.C. Penney at The Shops at Lake Havasu will be open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Dillard's

Dillard's also opened at The Shops in March.

The retail department store is similar to Macy's or Nordstrom. It will be one of three anchor stores at the Shops at Lake Havasu, including Wal-Mart and J.C. Penney Co. Inc.

Dillard's sells an array of men's, women's and children's clothing and footwear as well as bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics and houseware. Dillard's will also offer six cosmetic lines including Clinique, Lancome, Estee Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, Clarins and Mac. “We're excited about that,” said Jeremy Fry, store manager of the Lake Havasu City location.

The store is more than 98,000 square feet, with about 170 employees, Fry said.

No. Counting the one being built in Lake Havasu City, there are 17 Dillard's locations in Arizona. The Dillard's chain has about 330 stores in 29 states, mostly concentrated in Texas and Florida.

Dillard's was founded in 1938 by William T. Dillard. It began as a small department store in Little Rock, Ark., and has grown into one the largest retail chains in the United States.

The store is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Wal-Mart

A new Wal-Mart Supercenter will complete the three-anchor concept for the Shops at Lake Havasu when it opens June 11.

Mark Dutton, store manager, said he recently toured the store. “It's going to be an awesome store,” he said.

The store will be 208,000 square feet overall and will feature a full grocery department.

“The grocery department will include dairy, mean, fish, produce, everything,” Dutton said.

The Wal-Mart Supercenter will employ at opening about 550 people, and according to Dutton, most of them are local.

“We are at about 320 employees at our current store and we will build up to 550 at opening of the new store,” Dutton said.

Dutton will be manager of the Supercenter as well.

The current store will close June 10 and the new store is set to open June 11, Dutton said.

Famous Footwear

Havasuvians will have a new source for brand-name shoes when Famous Footwear opens its doors for business in mid-May. Company spokesperson Jennifer Stelse said the new 5,000 square-foot store will have about 10 employees.

Famous Footwear carries such brands as New Balance, Skechers, Nike, Timberland, Naturalizer, Rockport, Keds, Buster Brown and Adidas.

“We will have brand-name shoes at value prices for the entire family, plus socks, shoe laces and shoe care products,” Stelse said.

The Lake Havasu City store was designed by Famous Footwear's customers, she noted.

“We based our design on what customers told us they wanted, which includes wider aisles, more places to sit down for trying on shoes while they're shopping and better lighting,” Stelse explained.

Jus' Kidding

The childrens' clothing and baby accessory store Jus' Kidding is the only homegrown retail store making the move to The Shops at Lake Havasu in August.

“I thought it would be a great location for us,” said owner Stephanie Andersen, who opened Jus' Kidding on South Lake Havasu Avenue three years ago.

The store has been successful in its current home, and Andersen expects it will be even more successful in a mall setting where there will be significantly more foot traffic.

“I have an established clientele, and I expect they will follow us to the mall and we'll also be discovered by people who don't know anything about us yet,” Andersen said.

Andersen said she will expand her line of “baby gear” - strollers, car seats, play structures, etc. - in the new, 2475-square-foot location.

Kay Jewelers

Diamonds, gemstones and gold will greet shoppers at the Shops at Lake Havasu Regional Lifestyle Center, as Kay Jewelers opens on Friday, August 8.

The grand opening festivities will include special merchandise offers and a register-to-win a pair of 14-carat white gold three-quarter carat solitaire diamond earrings at a retail value of $1,499.

Kay Jewelers customers who are planning to purchase a diamond can get professional advice from a Certified Diamontologist - a diamond expert independently trained by the Diamond Council of America. Customers can find a Certified Diamontologist at every Kay Jewelers store throughout the country.

Victoria's Secret

Havasu is about to get a little sexier.

Among the many new stores about to open at the Shops at Havasu is world-famous purveyor of women's lingerie Victoria's Secret. While an opening date has not been announced, the shop is sure to be a hit with Havasuvians looking to spice up their love lives.

While the brand is probably best-known for their ubiquitous mail-order catalogues, the new Havasu store will add to the more than 1,000 Victoria's Secret retail shops around the country, making the brand the number one seller of lingerie and women's sleepwear in the country.

The stores not only sell lingerie, but also cosmetics, fragrances, hosiery, bras, panties, women's clothing and beauty products.

Styles For Less

The new Styles For Less shop is a junior clothing store that sells new fashion trends and basic favorites at affordable prices.

Company spokesperson Jenny Rodriguez said Styles For Less is known for its hottest looks in fashion for every occasion.

“Every store carries a wide variety of apparel, denim, sweaters, outerwear, athletic, swimwear and more. Shoes and accessories are also a part of our selection,” she said.

Novelty items reflect the latest looks and fashion, including belts, shawls, hats, jewelry and handbags.

Michaels

According to the Craft and Hobby Association, the average consumer participated in four different crafts in the past year.

That creates a need for a lot of craft materials.

To answer that need in Lake Havasu City, the Michaels chain of craft stores will open a location in the fall at The Shops at Lake Havasu Regional Lifestyle Center.

The 18,700-square-feet store will carry a wide array of products. The company owns and operates 964 Michaels stores in 48 states and Canada. The retailer's headquarters is in Irving, Texas.

Christopher & Banks

Christopher & Banks and C. J. Banks will open at the Shops at Lake Havasu in August, along with many other specialty stores.

According to their Web site, Christopher & Banks is a specialty women's apparel retailer serving the baby boomer women and their desire for style, fit and value in what she wears. They feature comfortable, versatile styles and focus on customer service.

Their history dates back to 1956, when Gil Braun opened the first Baum's store in Minneapolis, Minn. He offered quality apparel at a good value and personalized service to every customer. By the time he retired, Braun had turned his vision into Christopher & Banks. Brauns Fashions became a publicly traded company in March 1992 and in July 2000, they changed the name to Christopher & Banks, Corp.

The Christopher & Banks division offers misses sizes 4 to 16 through 546 locations as of February 2008.

C.J. Banks is the plus-size division. It first opened in the fall of 2000. The brand is specifically designed for women who wear plus sizes 14W and up.

American Eagle Outfitters

In December, Wolford Development announced one the country's most popular retailers of outdoor and casual clothing would be calling Lake Havasu City home, as American Eagle Outfitters would occupy a in a 6,422 square-foot building at the Shops at Lake Havasu Regional Lifestyle Center.

American Eagle Outfitters designs, markets and sells its own brand of laidback, current clothing targeting 15 to 25 year-olds, providing high quality merchandise at affordable prices. The original collection includes standards like jeans and graphic Ts as well as essentials like accessories, outerwear, footwear, basics and swimwear.

In January, American Eagle Outfitters announced plans to launch a new children's apparel brand. 77kids by american eagle(TM) will offer on-trend; high-quality clothing and accessories for kids age 2 to 10.