The Grand Outlet Riviera Maya, the largest luxury outlet mall in Latin America, reported drawing some 6,000 visitors a day since its opening on Aug. 31.
Located near the beach opposite Moon Palace hotel and eight miles from Cancún International Airport, the Grand Outlet will serve as a major al fresco lifestyle destination combining shopping, dining and entertainment for the whole family.
“We’ve been open for a week,” the General Operations manager Vladimir Maylén told newspaper La Jornada Maya. “In the first four days, the average attendance ranged between 6,500 to 7,000 people a day,” he said, while adding that it has been an “exciting” start of the project.
Developed by GICSA, a real estate development group based in Mexico that has opened malls like La Isla Mérida, Explanada Puebla and Paseo Querétaro, Cancún’s Grand Outlet will incorporate cascades, lakes, fountains and a beach club.
With a total gross leasable area of 58,013 square meters and an investment of 2.27 billion pesos (US $129 million) the Grand Outlet boasts 185 tenants that include luxury brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Carolina Herrera, Armani, Purificación García, Ermenegildo Zegna, Hugo Boss and Adolfo Domínguez, to mention a few.
Among the food and beverage options, 25 brands like the Hello Kitty Café, Wingstop, L’Osteria Totó, Starbucks, Sash-Tao Sushi and FRANKS, will have a home at the mall.
Other standouts include an ice rink, an amusement park, a 7,500-seat auditorium, an aquarium, a mini golf course and a go-kart track. Some of these attractions are planned to open in the next 30 to 60 days.
The complex will also include City Express Plus, City Express Suites and NH hotels.
The last phase of the project boasts a hot air balloon and an artificial lake to consolidate GICSA’s concept of “mall-tainment.”
With 70% of the shopping mall meant for retailers and 30% for dining and entertainment venues, developers told El Sol de México that Grand Outlet is expected to draw tourists and residents alike to experience a revolutionary concept in the Riviera Maya’s entertainment industry.
“It will surely be a project that will help tourism and will also strengthen the [entertainment] offer for residents,” Quintana Roo’s Minister of Tourism Bernardo Cueto Riestra told La Jornada Maya.
While 75% to 78% of the total leasable area has been let out, 47 shops have already opened and the remaining ones are expected to open soon. Once all the shops are up-and-running, the Grand Outlet expects an attendance of around 90,000 people per day.
Mall executives predict all retail stores will be open by December, when the mall is expected to employ around 5,000 people.
Finally, Maylén added that weekends will come along with surprises for all visitors, including live music events and other activities.
With reports from La Jornada Maya and Retail Insight Network
