Englewood Construction’s retail group has begun work on four new projects, including three in the Chicago market and one in Columbus, Ohio.
“We are fortunate to have long-standing relationships with growing national retailers that continue to add stores,” said William Di Santo, president of Lemont, Ill.-based Englewood Construction. “To remain leaders in the marketplace, these retailers also invest in renovations and remodels that cater to their customers’ demands. Those strategies keep Englewood Construction busy.”
American Girl remains a repeat client for Englewood Construction. In late February, Englewood Construction began building its eighth American Girl store – a 12,832-square-foot space in Easton Town Center, a high-end mall in Columbus, Ohio.
“American Girl holds a special place for Englewood Construction,” Di Santo said. “Our completion in 2008 of American Girl’s flagship 53,000-square-foot store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago became a springboard for us into many other retail projects.”
Another large project this year for Englewood is the 20,000-square-foot prep work for a Saks Fifth Avenue store in the new Fashion Outlets of Chicago, a 530,000-square-foot outlet center set to open Aug. 1 just east of Interstate 294 at Balmoral Avenue in Rosemont, Ill.
“Nationwide, the retail industry is really watching the construction of Fashion Outlets of Chicago because it’s breaking the mold in both location and world-class design,” Di Santo said. “Unlike most retail outlets set out in cornfields, this one is smack dab in the middle of activity – near O’Hare Airport, convention centers, hotels and next to Rosemont’s wildly popular new entertainment district. We’ve been part of many high-profile retail projects and that’s part of the reason we were selected for the Saks Fifth Avenue project.”
In trendy Chicago neighborhoods, Englewood Construction is remodeling two locations for client Trader Joe’s – a 15,000-square-foot store at 1147 S. Wabash Ave. and a 4,500-square-foot store at 1840 N. Clybourn Ave.
“There have been new players entering Chicago’s grocery sector, such as Mariano’s, so it’s smart of Trader Joe’s to continue to update and refresh its stores to stay current with shopper’s demands,” Di Santo said. “On a whole, we’re definitely seeing more work from grocery stores, so it’s shaping up to be one of the most popular construction arenas in 2013.”
