King of Prussia Mall Connector Nearing Its Debut

Source: Philadelphia Business Journal Natalie Kostelni

A $150 million project to connect both ends of the King of Prussia Mall has finally come together with its completion expected in just about four months.

Many of the tenants who signed leases on the new space that was created by the 1,300-foot long connector have already started to fit out their individual stores. Among the new tenants are Jimmy Choo, a British brand that sells shoes, handbags and accessories, along with Diane von Furstenberg, famed for her jersey wrap dresses, will open this year at the mall.

Carolina Herrera, Robert Graham, Clarins, Vince, and Stuart Weitzman are among the other luxury brands that have leased space in the mall’s new space. Existing tenants such as Louis Vuitton and Burberry are moving into expansion area and will be building out spaces that will establish flagship stores. In all, 50 retailers will open in the expanded area.

has 1,200 spaces is being power washed and readied for striping. Parking lots that had been used as staging areas for contractors and construction equipment are soon to be repaved. New escalators and elevators have been installed, marble flooring and light fixtures.

Show time is near.

The next few months may be some of the most complicated logistically, said Ted Jeffries of IMC Construction, which has been on the job for the last nearly two years. Seventeen active tenant fit-outs are underway now and more will be starting next month, which means dozens of additional contractors milling about while IMC finishes its work on the overall project.

There’s still an issue of keeping the mall operating as usual with active roadways and loading docks that can make things complicated and something that IMC has been dealing with all along.

“The whole challenge is not what we built but how we built it,” Jeffries said.

In time those issues will be no more and there will be shoppers who arrive in the parking deck to access the mall just a few steps from their vehicle or perhaps they will have used the valet option. There will be those manning a newly created concierge desk that can help visitors arrange dinner reservations, store packages while dining, call for the valet parked car or arrange, at a snap, for a personal shopper to assist you. And, of course, there’s the shopping.

The work that Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG) has undertaken at the mall is aimed at positioning its as a high-end shopping destination that also has an abundance of entertainment and dining options to have other attractions that lure foot traffic. But what also makes King of Prussia Mall unique is that it doesn’t just cater to those who always opt for valet parking and flaunt their black credit card each time they pull it out. It’s a mall for the masses.

Its newest incarnation is soon to debut. All of the work is scheduled to be completed by August and stores opened.

The gallery of photos will provide a sneak peak at the progress.