St. Louis Premium Outlets Prepares for Aug. 22 Opening

It's easy to tell that St. Louis Premium Outlets in Chesterfield is nearing its opening date, set for one week from Thursday -- the company is giving tours. 

Patch recently checked out the 350,000-square-foot retail center and snapped pictures of some of the 85 stores that will be available Aug. 22. Marketing Manager Emily Zimmermann said five more stores will be coming online shortly after for a total of 90, which means the development is 100 percent leased. 

That's enough to generate $140 million in sales annually, according to estimates provided by the company, and bring in $11 million in local sales taxes. 

The St. Louis Premium Outlets are located on the south side of Highway 40/I-64 on Chesterfield Airport Road just east of the Daniel Boone Bridge. 

Simon Property Group is the primary company behind the development along with Woodmont Outlets and operates 79 malls under the "Premium Outlets" brand worldwide. 

When St. Louis Premium Outlets opens, it will bring to a head a long-running saga that has been brewing in Chesterfield for years. On Aug. 2, the 310,000-square-foot Taubman Prestige Outlets opened on the other side of the Valley and drew 10,000 customers in its first five hours. 

In addressing the question of how many retail stores is too many, representatives from both companies have said the St. Louis market (meaning everyone with a few hours drive) is under-served for this kind of shopping experience. 

Simon's Director of Public Relations Les Morris said he believes there are enough shoppers to go around for both companies, but that doesn't mean there won't be a little friendly competition. 

Although he declined to address their inter-Valley rival head-on, Morris and other Simon representatives have been quick to tout that they are 100 percent leased. 

Taubman Prestige Outlets opened with about 47 stores, which represents about 80-85 percent of its 310,000-square foot center. Taubman has said they expect to have about 20 more stores fill in the rest of the space over the coming months. 

The St. Louis Premium Outlets are anchored by Sachs Fifth Avenue Off Fifth, its largest tenant, and other brands include Ann Taylor, Coach, Michael Kors and Nike. You can find a complete list of stores from both outlets here. 

There will be a weekend-long opening celebration with live entertainment, in-store promotions and giveaways that will kick off with an official ribbon cutting at 9 a.m., Aug. 22. 

Other daily events will include a photo brag wall and red carpet, a Premium Outlets Designer Showcase, fireworks, autographs by St. Louis Cardinals players and more than 140 prizes. You can find complete details on Simon's website.