Oxnard Outlet Mall Will Double Size Soon After Opening

A factory outlet mall scheduled to open in Oxnard next month has been so successful in attracting tenants that it plans to double its size by breaking ground on a second phase within 60 days, an official of the project reports.

Oxnard Factory Outlet, just off the Ventura Freeway between Rice and Rose avenues, has already leased 90% of its 48 stores to such well-known tenants as Benetton, Fila, Geoffrey Beene, The Gap and Bugle Boy, according to Keith Kennon, a partner in the center’s developer.

“We’re going to build another 45 units on adjoining property,” he said. “We hope to have the second phase open in time for Christmas.” The initial center will hold its grand opening June 10, 11 and 12, he said. Kennon is a principal in US Outlets of California Inc., which is building the center as a joint venture with Fru-Con Development Inc., a St. Louis firm that specializes in financing outlet malls.

Tenants of such centers are mainly clothing manufacturers that sell their own products at discount prices. The initial phase of Oxnard Factory Outlet contains 150,000 square feet of retail space and was built at a cost of $16 million. The proposed expansion, which has already been approved by planning officials, would double the space, Kennon said.

The Oxnard project won a race with a potential rival that has been proposed in Camarillo. The latter hasn’t yet been built.