The Summit, which opened in October 1997, is a 1 million square foot (93,000 m
2) upscale
lifestyle center located at the intersection of
U.S. Highway 280
U.S. Route 280 (US 280) is a spur of U.S. Highway 80. It currently runs for 392 miles (631 km) from Blichton, Georgia at US 80 to Birmingham, Alabama at I-20/ I-59. For much of its route, US 280 travels through rural areas and smaller cit ...
and
Interstate 459 in
Birmingham, Alabama.
Development
Bayer Properties, the owner and developer of the center, planned its construction over multiple phases. The first phase was a collection of 30 retailers and restaurants including Parisian (now Belk) and Barnes & Noble that originally opened with the center in 1997. The second phase included an additional 20 retailers including Gap in 1999. The third phase was opened in 2001 with the anchor of Saks Fifth Avenue. The fourth phase opened in 2005 and includes some 20 to 30 additional retailers and restaurants, bringing the center to nearly 1 million square feet (93,000 m
2). A fifth expansion will include a luxury hotel and 15 story condo tower, in addition to extra retail space.
In 2000, the center averaged US$500 in retail sales per square foot (US$5380 per
sq m), compared to a national average of US$358 (US$3852 per
sq m) that same year. In promotional literature that the developer provides to prospective retail tenants, Bayer claims that customers currently spend $117 per visit, compared to a national average of $87.
Bayer Properties has trademarked the brand "The Summit" and is in process of building other centers featuring the Summit name brand in other markets. The first of these opened in
Louisville, Kentucky, in 2001, while another center in
Reno, Nevada, opened in 2007. Additional Summit lifestyle centers are being developed in
Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem Township is a township in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population of Bethlehem Township was 23,730 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of Bethlehem and is part of the Lehigh Valley metropolitan statistical area, ...
,
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
, and suburban
Atlanta.
Lawsuit against Belk
When Belk took over the Parisian chain from Saks and announced plans to convert Parisian stores to the Belk nameplate, Bayer filed a
lawsuit
-
A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
against Belk, contending that the Belk brand was not as upscale as Parisian, and that the conversion violated a covenant requiring Belk to occupy the space with a "first-class" retail store. The suit was settled in 2007. Terms of the settlement were not made public, but Belk did announce plans to make the store a "flagship" store — its first such location outside North Carolina, and third overall in the chain — with upgraded brand names and lines over and above their standard offerings.
The name change took place in September 2007.
See also
*
List of leading shopping streets and districts by city
*
The Summit (Reno)
*
Paddock Shops, a similar center in Louisville, Kentucky previously known as The Summit of Louisville
References
External links
The Summit Official WebsiteBayer Properties web siteInternational Council of Shopping Centers article on Lifestyle Centers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Summit Birmingham
Shopping districts and streets in the United States
Buildings and structures in Birmingham, Alabama
Shopping malls in the Birmingham, Alabama metro area
Shopping malls established in 1997
Lifestyle centers (retail)