John Varvatos, the new Gap building, Zara, Stella McCartney for Adidas, I Love Toys, SuperDry, LUSH, Lids, Ladurée and Sabon are just a handful of the new shopping emporiums that have opened on the legendary Lincoln Road in Miami Beach in the last few months. The popular pedestrian-only shopping district is the centerpiece of Miami Beach retailing but it’s certainly not the only hotspot for visitors and residents to get their fashion fix. Lower Collins Avenue with retailers like the Kardashian’s Dash store, Intermix, Urban Outfitters, Bebe, Levi’s, Barney’s Outlet Store and Armani Exchange offers a mix of unique single location retailers as well as familiar names from malls across the country.
In the past few years, retailers from around the world have flocked to Miami Beach, attracted to the year-on-year increase in visitor numbers and tourist spending, the boom in condominium development and new hotels, as well as infrastructure support from the city. Retail spending in Miami Beach has been on the rise since 2009, topping $2.6 billion in 2013. Retail purchases in Miami Beach accounted for 26.8% of the total overnight visitor expenditures in 2013.
“Miami Beach is becoming a global city, a force to be reckoned with in the shopping, restaurant, hotel, and real estate businesses,” says Grisette Marcos, Executive Director, Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority. “No longer just a beach town, Miami Beach has evolved into a complex, urbane, chic city that is attracting the best-ofthe- best from around the world.”
Although just north of Miami Beach, areas like Bal Harbour and Aventura are benefitting from the vast interest in Miami Beach retail with popular malls in both those cities significantly expanding in the next few months.
NEW STORES IN MIAMI BEACH Gap
South Beach: Behold, the new and improved Gap! It’s officially open on Lincoln Road, and boasts two floors of clothing and accessories for the whole family, not to mention a cool hidden section with, wait for it, phone charging couches. No more angry dads, no more restless kids. It’s just you, a shopping bag, and 19,000 square feet of good ol’American basics.
Zara Lincoln Road
Lincoln Road Mall welcomes yet another A-list retailer to town this month as Spanish fashion giant ZARA launches a 2-story boutique at the corner of Washington Avenue along the eastern entrance to the popular pedestrian promenade.
Ladurée
The luxury French pastry shop famous for its macaroons, has opened its third U.S. location (there are two in New York City), on Lincoln Road. The company is taking their foray into South Beach seriously, offering an art deco-inspired macaroon box, a nod to the significant collection of art deco era architecture found in Miami Beach.
Adidas by Stella McCartney
Adidas and Stella McCartney joined forces to open the first ever standalone adidas by Stella McCartney store in the United States in early 2014 in the 1111 Building. The 1,000- square-foot store, which stocks the Swim, Run, Cycling, Studio, Yoga and Adidas by Stella McCartney collections includes apparel, shoes and accessories.
Sabon
Luxury bath store Sabon NYC has recently opened a Miami Beach outpost on Lincoln Road, offering scrubs and liquid soaps to shoppers strolling the pedestrian mall. For a unique experience, guests can have their hands washed in the Jerusalem Stone sink.
John Varvatos Lincoln Road
Designer John Varvatos offers his upscale rock & roll clothing and accessories edited to suit the South Beach climate at a 2,200 sq.ft. boutique designed to resemble his iconic Manhattan flagship location. The Miami Beach location offers unique men’s designer clothing, shoes, accessories, and fragrances.
Expanded Aventura Mall would be nation’s second largest
Florida’s largest shopping mall is planned to get even larger. The owners of Aventura Mall are proposing to add a three-story, 241,000-square-foot retail wing and a sevenlevel parking garage to the massive shopping center north of Miami. Aventura Mall is one of the top five highest grossing malls in the country in terms of sales per square foot.
Bal Harbour Shops shows latest plans for expansion
The mall wants to add 350,000 square feet of retail space, including 250,000 square feet of additional or expanded specialty department store space, and at least 20 retail boutiques, along with a high-end theater, a multipurpose community plaza along Collins Avenue and multiple locations for public green space. Bal Harbour Shops is the country’s most successful mall in sales per square foot.
