Loyal shoppers at Lenox Square will notice a few differences this year while perusing the upscale mall’s wings.
The Buckhead mall announced it signed 18 new leases this year with retailers and restaurants, including ones new to the Atlanta market. The slate of new stores furthers efforts by the mall’s owner to inject new brands to liven up Lenox Square and its sister mall, Phipps Plaza.
Simon Property Group, which owns and manages both posh properties, touts the malls among its best-performing locations. David Vinehout, vice president of leasing at both malls, said catering to the evolving tastes of younger shoppers has also given the properties an edge.
“We’ve definitely seen a shift in the customer profile,” he said. “You’re seeing more of those Gen Z and millennial customers coming to (Lenox).”
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
The same way viral restaurants flock to trendy mixed-use developments across Atlanta, upstart retail brands that made a splash online are looking to Lenox Square to establish a brick-and-mortar presence, Vinehout said.
Jewelry brand Mejuri, which started a decade ago online, is among the new brands slated to open a store in the mall this year. Skims, the shapeware and loungewear brand founded by Kim Kardashian, opened one of its first physical storefronts in Lenox last year.
“Gen Z and millennial shoppers are focusing on those digitally native brands,” Vinehout said. “We’ve been really focusing on keeping the malls relevant.”
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Other brands debuting in the Atlanta market at Lenox include women’s apparel maker Good American, luxury watch brand Panerai and British fashion company AllSaints. Swiss luxury watch brand Rolex is also upgrading its space in the mall. The other tenants include stores such as Cole Haan and Ray-Ban, and chain restaurants like Starbucks and Kelly’s Cajun Grill.
Vinehout described Lenox Square as the “800-pound gorilla” in Buckhead’s renowned retail market, attracting a wide variety of shoppers. By comparison, Phipps Plaza has cultivated a higher tier of luxury, although both properties combine to house one of the densest footprints of opulent shopping in the country, with about 65 luxury brands.
Recent renovations and a mixed-use addition called One Phipps Plaza are among Simon’s efforts to inject new life into malls and help them combat the rise of online retail.
The retail additions and stepped-up security efforts in recent years have helped Lenox Square bounce back from some incidents of crime that garnered the mall negative headlines early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Vinehout said the malls’ clout in the Southeast is undeniable, a reputation he expects will continue as the new slate of stores open their doors.
“Lenox isn’t just a place where people shop,” Vinehout said. “It’s where Atlanta comes to see and be seen, which is why we’re curating this evolving mix of brands.”
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