Camarillo, Oxnard Outlet Centers See More Growth

Calvin Klein, Versace and Ann Taylor are names that have drawn the attention of many a shopper. Add an additional 100 upscale shops in the same venue and buyers show up en masse.

The folks who run the Camarillo Premium Outlets shopping center know this as well as anyone. Their retail complex, which includes the aforementioned designers, attracted about 10 million shoppers in 1997, an increase of 27% from 1996.

“It just shows the strength of the project and how it continues to meet a lot of people’s needs,” said Michele Rothstein, vice president of marketing for Chelsea GCA, the New Jersey-based developer that owns the Camarillo outlet center.

“We continue to see the nice loyal shopper that lives in the area, or the region, and we’re getting new shoppers,” she said. “We own the Desert Hills [outlet center] in Cabazon--that’s our West Coast flagship. When we used to get calls from tour operators, the question was always about Desert Hills. Now they ask for both.”

The Camarillo outlet’s counterpart to the north, the Oxnard Factory Outlet, showed a slight increase in shoppers for 1997. Its 1.8 million visitors for the year was a 1% bump up from 1996.

“It’s what we anticipated, given the increase in competition in the area,” said Peggy Wimberley, general manager of the retail site, “not only the other outlet center, but also other retail businesses being developed. We felt that holding steady would be where would we end the year.”

Wimberley said she anticipates the same figures for 1998, with more retail shops springing up in the area--including additions to the Rose Avenue shopping center in Oxnard and a revitalization of the Camarillo Plaza shopping center.

At the same time, the Florida-based AutoNation used-car dealer, which will be located on 20 acres between the Rose Avenue site and the Oxnard factory site, possibly by year’s end, should create a more complete shopping corridor.

And that should increase business, Wimberley said.

“There will be easier access--it will give the customer of Best Buy or Office Max a straight drive through to our outlet,” she said. “This is a very hot area, very viable for both outlet centers. Some shoppers prefer one or the other of the centers. It just depends on their price point.”

The Oxnard Factory Outlet houses 35 stores on more than 47,000 acres. It is owned by Prime Retail LP, a Baltimore-based developer of outlet centers, and the Fru-Con Development Corp. of St. Louis.

Camarillo Premium Outlets has more than 100 stores on more than 350,000 acres. An additional 12 to 15 stores, covering about 40,000 acres, are expected to be open by next fall.