Fast forward a decade and Cincinnati Premium Outlets has become “one of Monroe’s most recognizable destinations,” Jennifer Patterson, the city’s assistant city manager for economic development.
“Because of the outlet mall, regional residents are able to shop for their needs conveniently, and people not as familiar with our community have an opportunity to learn more about the area with each visit to the mall,” she said. “Cincinnati Premium Outlets is often recognized for being the Best Shopping Area in Warren County through the Warren County Convention and Visitors Bureau’s annual Best of the County competition, and we’re proud to have them in Monroe.”
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Located on a 117-acre site, the project, which offers more than 400,000 square feet of leasable area and 100 stores offering savings of 25 percent to 65 percent, was approved in late 2007 and early 2008. It broke ground that spring, and it celebrated its 10th birthday on Tuesday.
The mall has become “one of the landmarks” of I-75’s stretch of highway in Monroe, according to Scott Hutchinson, director of marketing and communications with the Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“It kind of expands Warren County and our whole attraction base all the up to the edge of Butler County,” Hutchinson said. “It’s become a huge destination for both shopping and dining … and given us somewhere else to direct so many of our visitors to.”
Cincinnati Premium Outlets, as well as Deerfield Towne Center in Deerfield Twp., also provide a counterbalance to the county's antique shopping opportunities in Waynesville, Lebanon and Springboro, he said.
“Having these big, brand-name stores and so many of them within 10 minutes of that (antique shopping) really gives them kind of the whole well-rounded shopping experience,” Hutchinson said.
It has been a busy year for Cincinnati Premium Outlets, which so far in 2019 has welcomed five new stores — AT&T Store, Pepper Palace, Proletics, Puma and Vans — to a roster that includes retailers like LOFT Outlet, Under Armour, True Religion Outlet, The North Face, Adidas, J. Crew Factory, Kay Jewelers and others.
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The outlet mall is slated to add four more new retail offerings: Charley’s Philly Steaks (Sept. 30), Fanatics by Lids, pop-up shop Bass Factory and pop-up shop Ugg (mid-October). Opening dates for Bass Factory and Fanatics by Lids have yet to be set. Both holiday pop-up shops will remain open through the end of January 2020, according to Colin McGauley, a spokesman for Simon Premium Outlets, the outlet mall’s parent company.
While Simon confirmed that Cincinnati Premium Outlets welcomes millions of shoppers each years, spokesman Colin McGauley said its corporate policy stipulates it cannot disclose annual numbers for specific properties.
That said, Cincinnati Premium Outlets has played “an extremely important role” in growing Simon Premium Outlets presence across the central region, according to Chris Speca, regional vice president of Simon Premium Outlets’ Central Region.
“In the past decade, we’ve been thrilled with Cincinnati Premium Outlets’ ability to maintain relationships with and help develop some of the most premier shopping, food and entertainment-based retailers,” We’re confident recent additions, such as Vans Outlet, Shinola Detroit and PUMA, combined with four fall 2019 openings will continue to bolster this great success, while offering the community highly sought-after experiences people won’t find anywhere else.”
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Opened in Cincinnati Premium Outlets so far in 2019
• An AT&T store
• Pepper Palace, which sells gourmet hot sauce, barbecue sauce, salsa, pickled items, jellies and jams, beef jerky and more.
• Proletics, a brand providing leggings for women and other special products for running, training and active lifestyles.
• Puma, an athletic and casual footwear, apparel and accessories store.
• Vans, an action sports footwear and apparel retailer.
COMING SOON
• Charley’s Philly Steaks will open Sept. 30 offering grilled-to-order sandwiches like the store’s signature Philly Cheesesteak, Pepperoni Cheesesteak, Bacon 3 Cheesesteak and Chicken California Sandwich.
• Fanatics by Lids will open a second location at the outlet mall. It will provide a large selection of officially licensed and branded headwear for college, MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL teams in a variety of styles and colors
• Bass Factory, which will also open a holiday pop-up in a 6,000-square-foot-space, offering men’s and women’s footwear and apparel including loafers, ballets, lace-ups, sneakers, sunjuns, heels and more, plus seasonal apparel.
• Ugg, a footwear brand known for its sheepskin boots, will open a holiday pop-up shop in mid-October in a 2,200-square-foot space.
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