Ohio retail center targeting home products
Features range of items
Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, April 20, 2005
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ohio -- A Malvern, Pa.-based developer and consulting firm specializing in retail outlet centers hopes to capitalize on what it believes is Americans’ renewed focus on the home.
Last year, The Boyle Group purchased a former 315,000-square-foot, apparel-centered retail outlet known as Jeffersonville II Outlet Center in Jeffersonville. In that space it has created HomeWorks at Jeffersonville, a shopping center that focuses on home products ranging from furniture and carpet to wallpaper, lighting and accessories.The goal is to capture some of the business resulting from strong housing activity and the increased emphasis consumers have placed on the home since Sept. 11, 2001.“We know the number one draw in the U.S. economy will continue to be the home,” said company President Gregory Boyle. Midway between Cincinnati and Columbus, the center underwent a $450,000 renovation. The investment apparently has paid off. When The Boyle Group acquired the property, it was 18% leased. Today, it is about 50% leased to a mix of regional and national tenants. They include Sofa Express, a retail division of manufacturer Klaussner Furniture, which occupies about 30,000 square feet. Other home furnishings tenants include Simmons World of Sleep at 6,200 square feet, and Amish Heirloom Furniture at 15,000 square feet. Another furnishings tenant is Kulpsville Antiques & Collectibles, which sells bedroom and dining room furniture as part of its product mix.Ohio builder Nelson Homes has plans for a Custom Design Center, working with prospective homeowners on creating build-to-order houses.Boyle expects tenants to benefit from Jeffersonville’s proximity to Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and Springfield.He said about 40,000 vehicles a day pass by the center along nearby Interstate 71 and Route 40.
The center also benefits from traffic generated by a nearby apparel outlet center called Prime Outlets at Jeffersonville, with stores such as American Eagle Outfitters, Banana Republic and The Gap.As the company fills up the remaining square footage in the HomeWorks at Jeffersonville, Boyle said he would like to have about half the total space devoted to furniture.Helping him recruit tenants to the center is Jeffrey York, a High Point-based independent agent for The Boyle Group.By leasing space in the center, York said, the manufacturers can better establish their brands in the market among consumers and retailers.
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Ohio developer launches HomeWorks
Apr 24, 2005 -
Ohio retail center targeting home products
May 1, 2005
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