Tanger Outlets Asheville

Tanger Outlets Asheville is an open-air outlet shopping center located on Brevard Road, near the junction of Interstate 26 and U.S. Route 74, in Asheville, North Carolina. The property serves local residents, regional shoppers, and visitors to the Asheville area, offering a concentration of factory, outlet, clearance, and off-price stores from national apparel, footwear, accessories, home-furnishings, and sporting-goods brands. The site originally operated as Biltmore Square Mall, an enclosed shopping center that opened in 1989. The original development was associated with Crown American, the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation, and George H. V. Cecil. Its initial anchor lineup included Hess's, Proffitt's, and Belk. The traditional enclosed-mall format struggled over time as retail patterns changed and anchor tenants evolved. The property also became the subject of a 1998 legal effort by mall management and other plaintiffs to resist annexation into the city of Asheville; that effort was unsuccessful. Ownership changed in 2006 when Symphony Property Group and two local investment groups, operating collectively as Biltmore Eight, LLC, acquired the shopping center with third-party financing. During the following period, the property added Cinebarre, a hybrid cinema and restaurant concept that served food, beer, and wine during film screenings. This use reflected efforts to broaden the mall's entertainment and dining offer beyond conventional retail. The original mall closed to most activity on January 31, 2014, while certain anchors and Dollar Tree continued temporarily. Belk closed later in 2014. Rather than simply refurbishing the enclosed mall, the owners and developers pursued a substantial redevelopment. The former center was demolished and reconstructed as an open-air outlet complex by New England Development. The new Asheville Outlets opened on May 1, 2015, with covered pedestrian breezeways and a fire-and-water fountain feature. Its initial tenant mix included a Dillard's Clearance Center, Field & Stream, Nike Factory Store, Under Armour, Coach, Abercrombie & Fitch Outlet, Cole Haan, Tommy Hilfiger, and Bath & Body Works, along with dozens of additional stores. The center's retail offer has changed over time. Field & Stream closed and the space subsequently became a Sportsman's Warehouse location. Other reported tenants have included Ann Taylor Factory Store, Banana Republic Factory Store, Brooks Brothers Factory Store, GAP Factory Store, J. Crew Factory, RH Outlet, and Vera Bradley, in addition to continuing or later outlet-format locations for brands such as Coach, Cole Haan, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, and Under Armour. In November 2023, Tanger Inc. announced that it had acquired Asheville Outlets for $70 million and intended to enhance the property's food-and-beverage offer and add retailers. The center was subsequently rebranded as Tanger Outlets Asheville in January 2024. Under Tanger's ownership, the property became part of the company's broader network of open-air outlet shopping centers, with its positioning centered on accessible branded merchandise, tourism-oriented shopping, and convenience for highway-connected regional visitors.

The property now known as Tanger Outlets Asheville began as Biltmore Square Mall, an enclosed shopping center that opened in Asheville in 1989. The development was associated with Crown American, the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation, and George H. V. Cecil. Hess's, Proffitt's, and Belk served as original anchor tenants, reflecting the department-store-centered model common to regional malls of that period. In March 1998, mall management and other plaintiffs sought to prevent annexation of the property into the city of Asheville. The attempt did not succeed. In November 2006, Symphony Property Group and two local investment groups known collectively as Biltmore Eight, LLC purchased the center with assistance from a third-party loan. The property experimented with an entertainment-led addition in 2007, when Cinebarre introduced a cinema and restaurant concept. Patrons could order food, beer, and wine before and during movie screenings. The addition represented an effort to diversify the enclosed mall's uses at a time when traditional department-store retail was under pressure. Most of the mall closed on January 31, 2014, although certain anchor operations and Dollar Tree remained for a period. Belk closed by the end of that year. The original enclosed center was then demolished through 2014 as part of a major redevelopment rather than a conventional renovation. New England Development developed the replacement center as an open-air outlet mall. Asheville Outlets opened on May 1, 2015, with covered walkways and a fire-and-water fountain. The initial tenant roster included a Dillard's Clearance Center, Field & Stream, Nike Factory Store, Under Armour, Coach, Abercrombie & Fitch Outlet, Cole Haan, Tommy Hilfiger, Bath & Body Works, and many other stores. The format was designed to provide branded merchandise at outlet and clearance prices while making the center more compatible with Asheville's visitor economy and automobile-oriented regional access. The tenant mix later evolved. Field & Stream closed and the space became Sportsman's Warehouse, while the center's reported fashion and accessories roster included Ann Taylor Factory Store, Banana Republic Factory Store, Brooks Brothers Factory Store, GAP Factory Store, J. Crew Factory, RH Outlet, and Vera Bradley, alongside other national brands. In November 2023, Tanger Inc. announced the purchase of Asheville Outlets for $70 million. Tanger stated that it planned to strengthen food and beverage options and bring in additional retailers. In January 2024, the center was renamed Tanger Outlets Asheville, placing it within Tanger's branded portfolio of open-air outlet shopping destinations. The active property therefore represents three successive retail concepts on the same site: the original enclosed Biltmore Square Mall, the post-2015 Asheville Outlets redevelopment, and the Tanger-branded outlet center operating today.

• 2024

  Property receives Tanger branding

  [1]Tanger Outlets Ashevilleen.wikipedia.org

  Asheville Outlets is renamed Tanger Outlets Asheville following the change in ownership.

• 2023

  Tanger Inc. acquires the property

  [1]Tanger Outlets Ashevilleen.wikipedia.org

  Tanger Inc. announces the acquisition of Asheville Outlets for $70 million.

• 2015

  Asheville Outlets opens

  [1]Tanger Outlets Ashevilleen.wikipedia.org

  The redeveloped open-air outlet center opens on May 1 with a new tenant mix and covered pedestrian areas.

• 2014

  Enclosed mall closes and redevelopment begins

  [1]Tanger Outlets Ashevilleen.wikipedia.org

  Most of Biltmore Square Mall closes in January, Belk closes later in the year, and the former center is demolished and rebuilt.

• 2007

  Cinebarre opens

  [1]Tanger Outlets Ashevilleen.wikipedia.org

  A cinema-and-restaurant concept begins operating at the mall, serving meals and alcoholic beverages during screenings.

• 2006

  Biltmore Eight acquires the center

  [1]Tanger Outlets Ashevilleen.wikipedia.org

  Symphony Property Group and two local investment groups acquire the shopping center through the Biltmore Eight, LLC structure.

• 1998

  Annexation challenge fails

  [1]Tanger Outlets Ashevilleen.wikipedia.org

  Mall management and other plaintiffs unsuccessfully attempt to resist annexation of the property into the city of Asheville.

• 1989

  Biltmore Square Mall opens

  [1]Tanger Outlets Ashevilleen.wikipedia.org

  The enclosed shopping center opens in Asheville with Hess's, Proffitt's, and Belk as its principal anchors.

A highway-accessible, open-air outlet destination combining national brand factory stores, clearance retail, sporting goods, and visitor-oriented shopping in the Asheville market.

• Apparel retail · 2015

  Outlet fashion and accessories

  The center's core offer is a collection of factory and outlet stores selling apparel, handbags, accessories, and footwear. Reported tenants have included Ann Taylor Factory Store, Banana Republic Factory Store, Brooks Brothers Factory Store, Coach, Cole Haan, GAP Factory Store, J. Crew Factory, Tommy Hilfiger, and Vera Bradley. Merchandise, assortments, and tenant occupancy can change over time.

• Sporting-goods retail · 2015

  Athletic and outdoor goods

  Sports-oriented retail has been part of the redeveloped center's tenant mix, including Nike Factory Store and Under Armour. The property previously housed Field & Stream, which later closed; its space became a Sportsman's Warehouse location. This category broadens the center beyond fashion and supports both local and visitor shopping.

• Clearance and home-furnishings retail · 2015

  Clearance and home retail

  Dillard's Clearance Center was an anchor component of the post-2015 outlet concept, while RH Outlet represented home-furnishings retail in the reported tenant mix. These stores added lower-priced department-store and home merchandise to the fashion-led center.

• 2023

  Tanger Inc. purchases Asheville OutletsM&A

  Background

  Tanger Inc. sought to add the Asheville property to its portfolio of open-air outlet shopping centers.

  Action taken

  Tanger Inc. announced the acquisition and identified food-and-beverage improvements and additional retailers as priorities.

  Aftermath

  The property was renamed Tanger Outlets Asheville in January 2024.

  Acquisition price. 70000000 USD (November 2023 acquisition announcement)

  Source

• 2014

  Replace the enclosed mall with an open-air outlet centerStrategy

  Background

  The original Biltmore Square Mall had closed to most activity and its traditional enclosed-mall format was no longer being retained.

  Action taken

  The property was demolished and redeveloped by New England Development as an open-air outlet center with covered walkways and a new national-brand tenant mix.

  Aftermath

  Asheville Outlets opened in May 2015, replacing the former enclosed mall concept.

  Source

1. 1Tanger Outlets Ashevilleen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official Tanger Outlets Asheville websiteshopashevilleoutlets.com