ShopRite’s decision to grow its business with a larger location at a shopping centre in northern New Jersey has touched off a dramatic, single-year explosion of visitors at the complex.
To make room for the new 72,000sq ft ShopRite, the third-party operator of Blue Star Shopping Center in Watchung had to treat the site as a retail real estate chess board that had to be reconfigured to meet the grocer’s needs.
That operator, Levin Management Corp. (LMC), moved the centre’s Marshalls into a larger 27,000sq ft in some of the space left behind by ShopRite and added an additional 23,000sq ft of leases signed by new tenants.
This week, LMC released Placer.ai data showing that Blue Star drew 3.8 million visitors in the first year of its renovation – a remarkable 40 per cent lift in visitations in a single year.
“The visit numbers tell the story,” said LMC CEO Matthew K. Harding. “A 40 per cent increase isn’t a blip. We’ve been intentional about building a mix where dining, entertainment and convenience retail reinforce each other. What we’re seeing confirms that strategy is working.”
Blue Star – which is also anchored by Burlington, Kohl’s, Marshalls and Planet Fitness – has also expanded its dining and entertainment options to win new visitors.
Honeygrow – a fast-casual concept that specialises in wholesome, customisable stir-fries, salads and honeybars – recently opened at Blue Star in a 2,400sq ft space. Sakura Teriyaki recently signed a lease for a 4,000sq ft freestanding restaurant with a dedicated pickup drive-thru. And construction has begun on a 4,000sq ft Raising Cane’s location that will feature drive-through service and an outdoor patio.
On the entertainment side, iSmash will open in a 7,234sq ft venue offering a range of immersive experiences and Back Nine Golf will bring a 5,465sq ft indoor golf simulator experience to Blue Star.
“Blue Star has real momentum right now and it’s attracting exactly the kind of retailers and entertainment concepts that today’s consumers are seeking out,” said E.J. Moawad, LMC’s Senior Leasing Representative. “The diversity of what’s coming speaks to how much the centre has evolved and how strong the demand is from tenants who want to be part of it.”
