Don Ghermezian, CEO of American Dream and President of Triple Five Worldwide, calls it “Retailtainment”. The American Dream, self-proclaimed as a destination for style and play, will provide consumers with an entirely unique experience.

American Dream is a next generation “mall” that is approximately 3 million square feet in size and is projected to have 40+ million visitors annually after its opening in East Rutherford, NJ. The sprawling destination retail-entertainment center will offer a curated mix of entertainment, retail, fine dining, and casual restaurants all in one location; promising to have something for everyone.

The American Dream Mall – Photo credit American Dream

The organization behind this undertaking is putting entertainment first; a theme we have been seeing throughout the last year for retailers and malls. The property opens to customers in four phases starting this month. The first phase includes the Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park and an NHL-regulation size ice rink. The DreamWorks Water Park opens in November followed by an indoor ski and snowboard park that opens the following month. Even more attractions will be opening soon after including an aquarium, a LEGOLAND Discovery Center, a luxury movie theater, and a 300 foot observation wheel.

In March 2020 over 350 retail shops will make their grand opening and the complex could support up to 500 stores. This provides ample opportunities for companies looking to become part of this ultimate shopping destination. With nearly half a year before the opening of stores and food venues, vendors for this retailtainment behemoth will require necessary resources to begin and maintain high volume fulfilment of their locations. Suppliers and manufacturers should be prospecting the 1,200+ chains that operate within and will expand into the New Jersey area right away to procure orders for the phase 4 shopping addition. As 2020 approaches, we expect to see even more destination-type concepts to emerge, providing increased stability for the brick-and-mortar retailing environment and demanding a broader selection of suppliers to stock shelves and kitchens.

Triple Five Worldwide is the real estate development group responsible for the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. Mall of America, which is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year, is the largest integrated indoor amusement and shopping complex in the country.