Englewood Construction‘s retail group recently completed an interior build-out for Chicago Cruise Lines and begun work on two new projects, including an American Girl Store in Orlando, Fla.
“As consumers gain confidence and the economy continues to improve, we have seen a willingness for retailers to take on ground-up developments and substantial expansions,” said William Di Santo, president of Lemont, Ill.-based Englewood Construction. “There is a lot of pent-up demand in the market and healthy retailers are finding this is the right time to embark on new projects.”
American Girl, the incredibly popular retailer of children’s dolls and accessories, continues its nationwide growth with a new 15,000-square-foot store in Orlando at The Florida Mall. The project consists of an expansion of The Florida Mall, the largest mall in Central Florida at 1.8 million square feet. The architect for the project is Morristown, N.J.-based Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.
In the Chicago area, Englewood has begun work on a ground-up store for Goodwill in the southwest suburbs and completed an interior build-out for Chicago Line Cruises in the redevelopment of the former River East Art Center in downtown Chicago.
For Goodwill, Englewood is constructing a new, 17,000-square-foot retail store at Airport Road and Weber Road in Romeoville, Ill. Goodwill offers donated clothing and household items at reasonable prices.
“There is an interesting dichotomy that we are seeing in the retail market in regards to new development today,” said Di Santo. “Luxury retailers, such as American Girl, and discount retailers like Goodwill have an established niche that remains strong. We think the high-end and discount retailers will continue to thrive in the coming years.”
Construction for Goodwill began in mid-May, which first includes infrastructure work, such as building new roads to allow for convenient access to the new store. Englewood is partnering with Milwaukee-based Berengaria Development for the project and Wheaton, Ill.-based Webster, McGrath & Ahlberg, Ltd. is the architect of record.
At the former River East Arts Center in downtown Chicago, Englewood’s involvement on the redevelopment includes a significant build-out and renovation for Chicago Line Cruises, which offers popular architectural and historical cruises of the city, as well as private charters for groups and events. Located at 505 E. Illinois Street, the 109-year-old River East Arts Center is undergoing a massive renovation of interior space, as loft offices are being converted to apartment space and new retail is being developed.
