The Shops at Willow Bend

The Shops at Willow Bend is an upscale shopping mall located in Plano, Texas, with over 125 stores and three main anchors. The mall is located at the intersection of West Park Blvd (FM 544) and the Dallas North Tollway in West Plano.

History

The mall opened in 2001 with four anchor stores and about 75% occupancy.^[2] The mall was developed and is managed by Taubman Centers, which has been highly selective in accepting tenants. Despite being designed as a regional shopping center with over 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m²) of space, the center's management has tried to limit the mall's focus to predominantly upscale fashion. The majority of the stores in the mall cater to women, although some stores have broader appeal, such as the department stores, the restaurants, and North Texas' largest Apple Store. The four original anchors were Dillard's, Foley's (now Macy's), Lord & Taylor, and Neiman Marcus. The Lord & Taylor and Neiman Marcus stores were replacement stores for those at the now-demolished Prestonwood Town Center in north Dallas.

In 2004, a fifth anchor was added, Saks Fifth Avenue.^[3] In 2005, the total number of anchor stores dropped to four, as the May Company closed Lord & Taylor, along with all of the chain's other Texas stores.^[4] In 2010, the total number of anchor stores dropped to three with the closing of Saks Fifth Avenue.^[5] A fourth anchor, Crate & Barrel, opened in March 2011.

When it first opened, the mall's tenants included Escada, Bruno Magli, Burberry, Armani Collezioni, Montblanc, Nicole Miller, Diesel, D&G and Loro Piana among others, all of which have closed and have been replaced with typical mall retail chains. The mall is focusing on opening national retail chains after its failed attempt to lease space to upscale luxury stores.

Problems in the beginning

The mall has faced several operating challenges from the beginning:

• The mall opened shortly before September 11, 2001, when retail sales nationwide entered a slump.
• The mall had only upscale and luxury stores that appealed mostly to affluent clientele.
• Stonebriar Centre opened a year earlier than The Shops at Willow Bend in Frisco, only a few miles away.^[6] Stonebriar is considerably larger than Willow Bend and has more amenities plus a wider selection of shops and restaurants that appeal to all classes.
• There were no entertainment venues such as a movie theater or skating rink, unlike the nearby Stonebriar Centre.

Anchors

• Crate & Barrel (29,000 sq ft., opened 2011)
• Dillard's (249,200 sq ft., opened 2001)
• Macy's (200,000 sq ft., opened 2001 as Foley's, became Macy's 2006)
• Neiman Marcus (153,300 sq ft., opened 2001)

Former Anchors

• Lord & Taylor (140,000 sq ft., opened 2001, closed 2004, demolished 2010)^[7]
• Saks Fifth Avenue (122,900 sq ft., opened 2004, closed 2010)

See also

• List of shopping malls in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex

References

1. ^ Taubman Centers: Willow Bend Leasing Information. Retrieved Feb 15, 2007.
2. ^ Maria Halkias. "Saks to close Shops at Willow Bend store on Saturday". Dallas Morning News. http://www.dallasnews.com/business/headlines/20100817-Saks-to-close-Shops-at-Willow-5621.ece. 
3. ^ Maria Halkias. "Saks to close Shops at Willow Bend store on Saturday". Dallas Morning News. http://www.dallasnews.com/business/headlines/20100817-Saks-to-close-Shops-at-Willow-5621.ece. 
4. ^ Jonathan Betz (April 20, 2010). "New Crate & Barrel store to boost Plano mall.". WFAA. http://www.wfaa.com/news/Plano-mall-hopes--91647849.html. 
5. ^ Saks Incorporated to Close Its Saks Fifth Avenue Stores in Plano, Texas and Mission Viejo, California Retrieved August 17, 2010.
6. ^ Maria Halkias (February 09, 2011). "Frisco's Stonebriar Centre getting a Michael Kors store and more". Dallas Morning News. http://shoppingblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/02/friscos-stonebriar-centre-gett.html. 
7. ^ Jonathan Betz (April 20, 2010). "New Crate & Barrel store to boost Plano mall.". WFAA. http://www.wfaa.com/news/Plano-mall-hopes--91647849.html. 

External links

• The Shops at Willow Bend home page