Sprouts, Petco openings draw shoppers to Sahara Center

Developers broke ground on Sahara Center last November, and now the shopping center at Sahara Avenue and Hualapai Way has opened with major retailers.

The 220,000-square-foot retail center at 10000 W. Sahara Ave. sits on nearly 20 acres. It is a project of EHB Cos., the developer of Tivoli Village.

“I think everyone would agree that, prior to this, (the Summerlin area) has been underserved as far as retail,” said Ted Baker, retail leasing consultant for the center. “When we look at the overall market, which is some 400,000 people with $90,000-plus income and just 2 million square feet of supply, it was ‘under retailed’ for what you would see for (that size population).”

He said Sahara Center, when added to Tivoli Village and Downtown Summerlin, nearly doubled the amount of retail in the area (Tivoli Village and Sahara Center are outside of Summerlin’s official boundaries).

He said the center was always intended to contain value-oriented retail, as that sector tends to be strong contenders in any economy. Ground was broken when it had reached 60 percent lease occupancy.

Sprouts Farmers Market was the first store to open on July 30, and two shoppers there said their wives had been waiting for it since construction began. Both agreed the center filled a gap for the community.

“We need it badly,” said Andrew Danzeisen. “Badly. Like, on a scale of one to 10, an eight.”

Baker said the demand for mid-box space in the Summerlin area meant there was no shortage of retailers eager to get into the area. He cited the recently opened Petco and the soon-to-open T.J.Maxx as trying to get into the Summerlin area for the past five years.

“They were very happy to see a power center come online … they were happy to jump on,” Baker said.

Sprouts was the front-runner, with 27,000 square feet. Petco opened Sept. 6 and has 15,000 square feet. The 33,000-square-foot Stein Mart is set to open Sept. 26. HomeGoods and T.J.Maxx, both with 23,000 square feet, are set to open Oct. 5.

These tenants comprise approximately 121,000 square feet of the in-line building; other in-line building tenants covering approximately 80,000 square feet are set to be announced this year and early next year as they come closer to their openings. The six pad users will be announced as they get closer to the start of construction (in-line tenants occupy the same building with their storefronts in a line, while pads are separate, free-standing buildings built to specifications).

“On the heels of the recession, there continues to be a demand for mid- and lower-priced merchandise,” Baker said. “Luxury retail seems to do well regardless of what’s going on in the economy, but the middle market tends to suffer in a downturn, when there’s a flight to value by the consumer. We look at this center as a flight to value.”

What does the center mean for the Summerlin area?

“It means a unique offering in terms of value-oriented retail,” Baker said. “(With) its striking architecture and design, it’s probably the coolest center I’ve worked on in terms of the design and attention to detail. It’s a real asset to the community.”

For more information about Sahara Center, visit saharacenterlv.com.

Contact Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.