MONTGOMERY, AL | OCT 24, 2008 – The Shoppes at River Crossing, a 750,000 square foot regional, open-air, lifestyle center has signed ladies apparel stores, J. Jill and Talbots. In addition to these retailers, Bath & Body Works, Claire’s, Sunglass Hut and Victoria’s Secret will open locations at the center, scheduled to grand open March 19, 2008. J. Jill is a multi channel specialty retailer of women’s apparel, shoes and accessories. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Talbots, Inc., J. Jill will open their fourth location in Georgia and the first store outside the Atlanta area at The Shoppes at River Crossing. Based in Quincy, Mass. J. Jill operates 239 stores in 40 states and distributes 25 separate catalogs with an annual circulation of 70 million.
The 3,137 square foot store will cater to the 35+ woman and offer its clothing in petite, misses, women’s and tall sizes. Established in 1947, Talbots specializes in women’s clothing, shoes and accessories. Offering misses, petites and plus-sizes, Talbots operates 1,083 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom and 4 stores in Japan. The store at The Shoppes at River Crossing will be 8.809 square feet. The Limited Brands, Inc. will open a 3,312 square foot Bath and Body Works and an 8,053 square foot Victoria’s Secret at the center. Bath & Body, a personal care store operates 1,546 stores nationally. Victoria’s Secret is the largest specialty retailer of women’s intimate apparel in the United States. The approximately 1,000 Victoria Secret stores account for over $1 billion in sales. Claire’s Stores, Inc. is a leading specialty retailer of girls, young adults and women’s value-priced jewelry and fashion accessories.
The 1,476 square foot River Crossing store is one of 1,691 stores operated in North America by Claire’s. Sunglass Hut International is a division of Luxottica Group S.p.A. A recognized leader in the latest branded optical products at competitive prices, Sunglass Hut’s 1,010 square foot store at The Shoppes at River Crossing will be one of their 1,500 locations worldwide. The Shoppes at River Crossing, a joint venture project between Jim Wilson & Associates, LLC (JWA) of Montgomery, Ala. and General Growth Properties, Inc. (GGP) of Chicago is located at I-75 and Riverside Drive and will feature upscale specialty stores, restaurants and anchor tenants. Two department stores and five mid-size anchors are planned for the site.
Jim Wilson & Associates, LLC is a privately owned real estate company specializing in shopping centers, residential real estate investments, offices, condominiums, hotels and multi-use developments. With over three decades of real estate experience, JWA has developed in excess of 21 million square-feet of shopping center space. The company’s development portfolio includes residential communities and condominium residences, multi-use developments, Class A office buildings and hotel and country club assets.www.jwamalls.com
General Growth Properties, Inc. headquartered in Chicago, is the second largest General U.S.-based publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). General Growth currently has an ownership interest in or management responsibility for a portfolio of more than 200 shopping malls in 44 states, as well as ownership in planned community developments and commercial office buildings. The portfolio totals approximately 200 million square feet of retail space and includes more than 24,000 retail stores nationwide. General Growth Properties, Inc. is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GGP. For more information, please visit the company web site at http://www.generalgrowth.com.
