Tanger Factory Outlet Embarks on $8M Expansion of Retail Center

By Eliza Theiss, Associate Editor

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. has started construction work on its Tanger Outlet Gonzales facility in Metropolitan Baton Rouge’s Ascension Parish.

The expansion part of the $8 million project entails adding 50,000 square feet to the shopping center. Some of the nine stores establishing a presence at the center will be J.Crew, Talbots, Under Armour, Brooks Brtothers, American Eagle and Loft. The stores are expected to open in March 2013.

The retail center is also expected to undergo some renovation, as well as landscaping upgrades. Customer parking will be increased. “”We are excited to take this next step in further developing this modern, upscale shopping environment with a uniquely southern feel for our more than 4 million annual shoppers in Gonzales,” Steven B. Tanger, president and CEO of Tanger Outlets commented in a press release.

Retail sales following the renovation and expansion are expected to generate an additional $15 million in tax revenue. Furthermore, approximately 70 jobs will be created during construction. With the opening of the new stores, additional full- and part-time retail jobs will be created.

The expansion will raise Gonzales Tanger’s square footage to 322,000 square feet of leasable space and bring the number of designer stores and brand outlets to 60. “The addition of the new stores makes in-season and on-trend merchandise even more accessible for our customers shopping for value priced merchandise,” Steven Tanger added in the same press release.

Tanger Outlets Gonzales opened in 1993 off Interstate 10. It underwent a $10 million renovation and expansion in 2005, after Hurricane Katrina. At that time, Baton Rouge and surrounding areas had experienced an unexpected increase in housing and commercial development.

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. is a publicly-traded REIT headquartered in Greensboro, N.C. Tanger operates or has ownership interest in 39 upscale shopping centers in the USA and Canada, totaling $11.9 million square feet of commercial space.

Photo credit: Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc.