Top stories
King of Prussia Mall
USINFO | 2013-10-29 13:15
 The ceiling and a platform at the mall |
|
| Location | King of Prussia in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Opening date | 1963 |
| Developer | The Kravco Co. |
| Management | Simon Property Group |
| Owner | King of Prussia Associates, Simon Property Group |
| No. of stores and services | 400+ |
| No. of anchor tenants | 7 |
| Total retail floor area | 2,391,000 square feet (222,100 m2) |
| Website | www.kingofprussiamall.com |
The King of Prussia Mall is the largest shopping mall in the United States of America in terms of leasable retail space. It is a luxury mall with numerous upscale retailers.
It is located in King of Prussia, an area within Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania, northwest of Philadelphia. The two sections that comprise the King of Prussia Mall include the Plaza at King of Prussia, anchored by Lord & Taylor, Sears, JCPenney, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom; and the Court at King of Prussia, which is anchored by Macy's and Bloomingdale's. The latter includes the Pavilion at King of Prussia.
Description
King of Prussia Mall has its department stores: Nordstrom, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's, Lord & Taylor, JCPenney and Sears, and a diverse merchant mix of over 400 stores, including a collection of luxury retailers.
A selection of international dining options are available at three food courts and in casual and fine dining establishments including Cheesecake Factory, Morton's The Steakhouse, Seasons 52, Maggiano's Little Italy and Legal Sea Foods, among others.
Owned and managed by Simon Property Group of Indianapolis, the upscale mall, anchored by Bloomingdale's, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, JCPenney, Sears and Macy's, has over 400 stores and restaurants. It is also the sole outpost in Philadelphia for a number of high-end stores including Stuart Weitzman, Hugo Boss, Betsey Johnson, Love Culture, Kate Spade, DKNY, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Cartier, Anne Fontaine, Tory Burch and Hermès. King of Prussia frequently sees the addition of new retailers. The following opened for business in 2011: Lululemon, True Religion, 77kids, ErmenegildoZegna, Vera Bradley, L.L. Bean, Touche Accessories, Lush Cosmetics, and Love Culture. Stores set to open in Spring 2012 include Longchamp, Omega, Aveda, and Tommy Bahama. September 2, 2012 saw the opening of the 2000 sq. ft, Burton Snowboards. It is their first store in Pennsylvania, and one of five on the East Coast.
The mall is a prominent tourist destination in the Philadelphia area, with an estimated 20-25% of visitors as tourists. Several nearby hotels offer mall tourist packages, which typically include mall gift cards. The mall employs over 7,000 people in the area.
Due to the mall's size, several retailers rent more than one space. For example, the mall has three Sunglass Hut Internationals, five Auntie Anne's Pretzels, two Coach stores, two Victoria's Secrets, two H&Ms, two Starbucks restaurants, two GameStop stores (with one GameStop almost directly above another), two General Nutrition Center stores, two Bath & Body Works, two AT&T Stores, and two Teavana stores.
In addition to over 20 mid-range restaurants like Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen, the complex has three distinct food courts, offering everything from Five Guys and Chick-fil-A to Morton's Steakhouse, and upscale dining environment.
The Court is linked to the Plaza by a covered outdoor walkway, which features an array of plants, benches, and speakers playing tasteful jazz music. Its anchor stores are Macy's and Bloomingdale's. It originally had a third anchor, Abraham & Straus, which sold its store in 1988 to Strawbridge and Clothier, which subsequently relocated to the former Wanamaker location at The Plaza in 1996 upon its acquisition by May Department Stores Co. Its spot was redeveloped as the shopping complex's newest section, the Pavilion at King of Prussia. Stores in this section include a double-level Urban Outfitters, Five Below and The Cheesecake Factory. One of the complex's three food courts is also located in the Court. The Court houses more upscale shops than the Plaza, and was also the original concept of The King of Prussia Mall.
The mall has several businesses within its own parking lots, on its property, including a Crate & Barrel, a Seasons 52, and a Wells Fargo branch. There are also several large stores located in the immediate vicinity of the mall, including a 16 screen United Artists Theaters with an IMAX theater, a Wegman's Food Market, a Costco Wholesale, Toys "R" Us, Best Buy, Nordstrom Rack, Wal-Mart, Capital Grille, and several luxury and affordable hotels. Lockheed Martin also has a massive campus overlooking the mall area.
2011-2014 expansion
On November 29, 2011, Simon Property Group announced plans to create a 140,000 sq ft. expansion to connect The Court and The Plaza. This new retail connector will feature over 40 stores, dining choices from some of Philadelphia's well-known celebrity chefs, an upscale dining pavilion and a customer lounge. This proposal, which includes expanding the adjacent parking deck, is still subject to approval by the local government. This project will make King of Prussia Mall the largest official shopping mall in the United States (larger than Mall of America in overall square footage until their completed 'Phase II' expansion which will add an additional 5.6 million square feet of retail, hotel and entertainment options returning them to the distinction of the largest mall in the U.S.), and it will be under one roof for the first time. If the plan is approved, construction will begin in late 2013, with completion by 2015. Several outparcels are also proposed for this expansion. The Container Store has received approval from Upper Merion Township, and will be located in the outer parking lot of The Court with frontage along Dekalb Pike (US 202).
