BURLINGTON — The new owners of the Burlington outlet mall have begun giving the long-neglected shopping center a facelift and say an expansion is in the works.
Company officials said that customers can expect to see a “dramatic transformation” of the 174,055-square-foot facility, which was renamed the Outlet Shoppes at Burlington after it was purchased in August 2007 by Illinois-based Horizon Group Properties Inc.
Renovations are already under way and include changing the mall’s color scheme to earth tones and reconfiguring the parking lot so that customers have drive-up access to stores. Canopies will also be installed on storefronts.
The mall’s renovation will be completed in July. The new owners are also preparing plans for an expansion, though they won’t discuss specifics on that project just yet.
Gina Slechta, a company spokeswoman, said there are several new tenants slated to move into the mall as a result of the redevelopment. Slechta declined to name the tenants as lease negotiations are ongoing. The mall is currently 78 percent full.
The mall was constructed in 1989 and was called Prime Outlets before being acquired by Horizon, which owns and develops factory outlet shopping centers around the country.
It has been hampered by store turnover and slumping sales since the Seattle Premium Outlets mall opened more than two years ago just 30 miles south in Tulalip. Earlier this year, the Burlington outlet mall lost a pair of tenants — the Mikasa factory store and the Liz Claiborne outlet — right after the holiday shopping season.
Horizon cites the shopping center’s proximity to Vancouver, B.C., the region’s growing population and the mall’s location off Interstate 5 as reasons to believe the facility’s fortunes will change once the facelift is complete.
“It’s a diamond in the rough that has long been neglected,” said Gary Skoien, the company’s chief executive officer, in a news release. “Its new look and the addition of a few new tenants will transform this center into a first-rate shopping venue.”
The facility draws more than one million visitors each year and features more than 30 stores, including Coach, GAP Outlet, Tommy Hilfiger and Eddie Bauer.
Slechta said that information on the mall’s future expansion and new tenants should be released in the coming weeks.
• Josh Lintereur can be reached at 360-416-2141 or at .
