Originally Posted by
Italy98
I don't know how well Sawgrass is doing since a new, higher end, mall opened between Naples and Ft. Myers around 2005. Since then a number of customers who would bus in from Naples - Ft. Myers area now frequent the new mall.
Sawgrass Mills isstill doing OK - according to the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, mrerchants report that buyers are more careful in selecting purchases, but are still buying (the opening of the Colonnade section of new luxury outlets (such as Michael Kors) has helped. The impact of other new developments is lessened by the fact that 30 percent to 40 percent of the shoppers are from Latin America, and many of those don't venture out of the Miami-Dade, Broward and Orlando areas. Average spend for the Latin American shoppers is a whopping USD 1,000.
Sawgrass Mills is the second most-visited tourist attraction in the state, after The Mouse (of course).