Outlet Mall Competition Carries Over Into Trade Show

The competition to build a successful outlet stores mall in Chesterfield Valley reached a new level at a trade show in Las Vegas this past week, according to Kavita Kumar, writing a business brief for stltoday.com.

Taubman Prestige Outlets Chesterfield—the developer who has begun grading on 49 acres at the Boones Crossing exit from Highway 40/64—apparently covered huge buses in ads at the convention, that hyped the opening of its new outlets mall in October 2013, in Chesterfield. 

The International Council of Shopping Centers gathered in Las Vegas.

Taubman has already joined Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce (businesses) and has signed on as a sponsor of the popular weekly summer concerts in Faust Park, in Chesterfield.

Chesterfield Blue Valley LLC, headed up by Clayton resident Dean Wolfe, is the other outlet mall developer, partnered up with Simon Properties. They have 188 acres at Boone Bridge and Highway 40/64. The group recently got a 1 percent sales tax hike (when stores open there) to put toward developing the farmland.

Both outlet malls are likely vying for the same tenants, with the malls just several miles apart in Chesterfield Valley.

Kumar says Taubman put a $150 million price tag on the outlets project.

The figure $275 million has been used to describe Blue Valley/Simon's investment in their mall project, named St. Louis Premium Outlets. 

Taubman spokesmen told Chesterfield Patch that Blue Valley/Simon is a year behind Taubman on getting required okays from various agencies such as the Levee District, Army Corps of Engineers and others.

But now Taubman is in court with the city over adding a 5/8th percent sales tax on its future shoppers, to help pay for roads, parking lots and other transportation projects in Chesterfield Valley.