Bass Pro Shops Selected as Lead Retailer in New Jersey for the Largest New Retail Development in North America
OutdoorHub 06.10.13
Bass Pro Shops, America’s most popular outdoor retailer, will open a store at Luxury Point, one of the largest new mixed-use developments in the United States, in Sayreville, New Jersey. The new 200,000 square-foot Bass Pro Shops® Outdoor World will be located at Garden State Parkway and Chevalier Avenue. Some 400,000 cars per day pass directly by this site and there are more than 15 million people within a 50 mile radius.
Luxury Point, located just 30 miles from Manhattan and minutes away from Staten Island in Sayreville, NJ, will center around a 1.2 million-square-foot luxury mall and 723,000 square-foot entertainment district encompassing luxury retail, waterfront and recreation destinations, along with 2,000 high-end residential units, office space, high end hotels and two luxury marinas.
The 8 million-square-foot development will also include waterfront dining, a community center, bike trails, walking paths, and abundant green and open space including a waterfront promenade.
“We are excited about this location and very grateful to developer Brian O’Neill and his family for selecting Bass Pro Shops to be the premier anchor tenant in what may well be one of the most exciting new retail developments in the world,” said Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris. “This highly visible location is easily accessible and will allow us to bring Bass Pro Shops’ low prices and famous friendly service to the many sportsmen and women in the region,” Morris continued.
The 453-acre site lines three miles of highly visible waterfront along the Raritan River, and 24 lanes of highway in one of the most densely populated and affluent areas of the United States. When completed, it will be one of the most significant developments ever built in the New York area, with more than 30 million visitors expected annually.
“Luxury Point will be the largest mixed-use development under construction in the United States. When complete it will also be the most significant luxury retail development in 30 years,” states Brian O’Neill, Founder and Chairman of O’Neill Properties Group. “Bass Pro Shops redefines retailing of outdoor equipment for hunting, fishing and boating in the Northeast. The new location at Luxury Point will be the largest store East of the Mississippi and O’Neill Properties is thrilled to have Bass Pro Shops as our leading anchor tenant.”
Luxury Point is surrounded by one of the busiest intersections in the United States, just off the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, U.S. Route 9 and NJ Route 35, and close to I-287 and Route 440. More than 400,000 cars pass the site daily, and over 600,000 per day in the summer months. In addition, there will be regular mass transit service available.
The planned Bass Pro Shops location at Luxury Point will be the size of five football fields with expansive aquariums, waterfalls and museum quality fish and wildlife dioramas onsite along with a huge selection of outdoor gear.
Bass Pro Shops will host over 120 million people visiting their 77 stores and Tracker Marine Centers across America and Canada this year; the average customer stays 2 ½ hours and drives an average distance of 50+ miles. Bass Pro Shops was recently named by Advertising Age magazine as one of the Top 10 Hottest Brands in America along with name brands such as Old Spice, M&M’, iPad and Droid. Also, Bass Pro Shops has been recognized numerous times for their conservation and outdoor education efforts, as well as being named by J.D. Powers & Associates as one of the top eight retailers in America for customer service excellence.
Bass Pro Shops’ unique, award-winning, mega-sized outdoor stores are known for combining retail with entertainment, conservation and outdoor education. More than just a fishing and hunting store, Bass Pro Shops stores offer equipment and clothing for hiking, backpacking, wildlife viewing, camping, outdoor cooking and more. A gift and nature center will also serve up a wide variety of outdoor-related items from lamps and dishes to bird feeders and furniture.
The expansive boat showroom will feature Tracker, Nitro, SunTracker, Tahoe, Grizzly and Mako boats built by Tracker Marine Group, the world’s largest manufacturer of fishing boats.
The Sayreville Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World will feature the much- acclaimed Uncle Buck’s Fishbowl and Grill. This nautical-themed entity located within the store, features a truly unique atmosphere and design geared for family fun and dining. Twenty lanes will offer customers the chance to bowl ‘in the ocean. Casual family dining will be available in the Grill where customers may select from a menu featuring a variety of appetizers, sandwiches, salads and burgers.
Bass Pro Shops’ unique exterior and interior motifs have branded them as visually appealing, high quality outdoor stores. The outdoors feel is brought indoors through massive log and rock work, large indoor aquariums and water features stocked with native fish species as well as an extensive collection of museum quality fish and wildlife mounts. Historic photos and exhibits will pay tribute to the regions great outdoor heritage.
Local response to Bass Pro Shops and the Sayreville Seaport Associates reaching an agreement has been extremely positive and welcoming.
“This announcement is the culmination of 14 years of hard work to redevelop the National Lead Property. I am convinced this site will ultimately become the Gold Coast of Sayreville and will provide a consistent stream of tax revenue and jobs for the direct benefit of Sayreville residents,” said Kennedy O’Brien, Mayor of Sayreville. “I look forward to the groundbreaking of this long awaited project.”
Raniero Travisano, Chairman of the Sayreville Economic and Redevelopment Agency (SERA), is pleased to bring the nationally recognized retail leader in family oriented outdoor activities to Luxury Point at Sayreville. “Bass Pro Shops will be the first retail store to be built at Luxury Point and will act as the gateway to the project. SERA welcomes Bass Pro Shops to the Sayreville community and looks forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”
“This is a major milestone in the redevelopment of the former National Lead site that will create jobs, ease the local property tax burden and improve our local quality of life,” added Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski. “It takes us one step closer to achieving my goal of restoring this site as an active part of our community.”
