Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of The Worldwide Retail Marketing, Leasing and Sales Team at Douglas Elliman, has been named Luxury Retail Consultant for the $350 million Empire Outlets development, in St. George, on Staten Island.
Joseph Ferrara, CEO of BFC Partners, which is building the project with financing from Goldman Sachs, said, “Faith is a legend and we wanted her careful eye in selecting the right luxury brands to excite shoppers. She is going to take charge of our marketing to present the project with the right flair and panache to the best retail gems from around the world.”
So far, the development has signed its anchors and national mainstays, but wanted Consolo to populate “the gems.ˮ
Consolo said, “We’re sourcing those elite brands that we know everyone wants to shop. Empire Outlets will be a brand magnet for beauty products, accessories, designer apparel, athleisure.
“We will complement Dennis Basso and Jewelers On Fifth that have already signed up to be here, along with a new large-footprint concept from Nike, with all the boutique European designer brands that have done so well with the luxury outlet model across Europe.ˮ
American anchor brands that have already leased space in Empire Outlets include Nordstrom Rack, H and M, Banana Republic, Gap Factory, Columbia Sportswear, and Toys ‘R’ Us. Specialty stores include Parfum Europa.
The 350,000 square foot shopping mall will have a 20,000 s/f event space and 40,000 s/f of dining, featuring an artisan food and beverage hall by MRKTPL, plus outlets from Manhattan-based concepts Mighty Quinn’s BBQ, Two Boots Pizza, Wasabi Steak and Sushi.
For the final twelve months of the project, Douglas Elliman team plans to roll out a new visual campaign, clad the greeting center in the new design and launch a national advertising campaign, with new digital presentation materials, active social media and a physical representation at the ICSC shopping center convention and at luxury conferences across the country.
