Halpern Enterprises is launching a 65,000-square-foot expansion at its Carrollton Crossroads retail center in Carrollton. Construction will begin in March a renovation and expansion to the Kroger space. Meanwhile, construction is already underway on an Olive Garden restaurant on one of Carrollton Crossroads’ outparcels.
“This is a great time for the expansion because Carrollton Crossroads is doing extremely well, shown by the customer traffic and sales volume at its stores,” Bill Brown, president of Halpern Enterprises, tells GlobeSt.com. Carrollton Crossroads recently opened a Staples location, raising the soon-to-be 362,300-square-foot center’s occupancy rate past 98%.
Brown points to a prime location and a value-oriented mix of stores as reasons for its success: “We have a number of indicators that give us confidence in this project. As one example, Staples did its own research before deciding to move into the center from a nearby location.” Among its other anchor stores are Ross Dress for Less, T.J.Maxx, Hobby Lobby, and Pet Supplies Plus.
Reflecting a trend of grocers broadening their appeal to shoppers, the 65,000-square-foot Kroger renovation and expansion will include areas selling jewelry and home goods, along with a Starbucks location. The expansion is expected to be complete by June 2013, while the new Olive Garden is slated to open in July.
“Like other submarkets around Atlanta, retail centers in places that are not well-located continue to have difficulty filling vacancies, a sign of the continuing challenges in the economy,” Brown says. “Carrollton Crossroads is definitely a standout in the Carrollton market, as are several other value retail centers. This niche has proven to be a big winner in Carollton.”