The Summit

The Summit is an upscale lifestyle center in Birmingham, Alabama, positioned between the Birmingham-area communities of Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills. The complex opened in October 1997 and was developed by Bayer Properties as a large-format retail and dining destination serving the metropolitan Birmingham market. Its location at the intersection of U.S. Highway 280 and Interstate 459 gives it access to suburban residential areas as well as regional traffic corridors. The center was built through a series of development phases rather than as a single completed project. The initial 1997 phase contained approximately 30 retailers and restaurants, including Parisian and Barnes & Noble. Parisian was later replaced by the Belk department-store nameplate after Saks Incorporated transferred the Parisian chain to Belk. A second phase opened in 1999 and added roughly 20 additional tenants, including Gap. The third phase, completed in 2001, introduced Saks Fifth Avenue as a major anchor. A fourth phase followed in 2005, adding approximately 20 to 30 more retail and restaurant spaces and bringing the property to close to 1 million square feet, or about 93,000 square meters. The Summit's format combines department stores, specialty retail, restaurants, and an outdoor-oriented lifestyle-center environment. Rather than operating as a conventional enclosed mall, it has been positioned as an upscale destination where shopping, dining, and leisure activities are integrated. Bayer Properties used the property as the foundation for a broader Summit-branded development concept. The company trademarked the name and subsequently opened or planned similarly branded lifestyle centers in other American markets, including Louisville, Kentucky, and Reno, Nevada, as well as proposed projects in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Birmingham property has also been the subject of notable tenant and brand-management decisions. When Parisian was converted to Belk, Bayer Properties sued Belk, arguing that the replacement did not satisfy a contractual requirement for a first-class retailer and that Belk's positioning was less upscale than Parisian's. The dispute was settled in 2007 under undisclosed terms. Belk subsequently described the location as a flagship store and announced upgrades to its merchandise assortment; the name conversion occurred in September 2007. The Summit's scale and tenant mix have supported strong reported productivity compared with national shopping-center benchmarks. Developer promotional material cited average retail sales of approximately $500 per square foot in 2000, versus a reported national average of $358 per square foot, and average customer spending of $117 per visit compared with a national benchmark of $87. These figures were supplied by the developer for leasing and promotional purposes and should not be treated as independently audited current financial results. The property remains an active retail destination, although its tenant roster has changed over time as department stores and specialty retailers have adjusted their physical-store networks. In February 2026, Saks Fifth Avenue was reported as scheduled to close as part of a nationwide plan affecting eight stores. The closure would represent another change in the center's anchor lineup, but it does not by itself indicate that The Summit has ceased operations.

The Summit was developed by Bayer Properties as a regional upscale lifestyle center in Birmingham, Alabama. The site occupies a strategically accessible position at the intersection of U.S. Highway 280 and Interstate 459, between Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills. The center opened in October 1997 with an initial phase of about 30 retailers and restaurants. Early tenants included the Parisian department store and Barnes & Noble, establishing a mix of upscale department-store, specialty, and destination retail. Bayer expanded the property in stages. A second phase opened in 1999 and added roughly 20 retailers, including Gap. In 2001, a third phase added Saks Fifth Avenue as an anchor, strengthening the center's luxury-oriented positioning. A fourth phase opened in 2005 with approximately 20 to 30 more retailers and restaurants. The cumulative development brought the property to nearly 1 million square feet, making it one of the region's largest lifestyle-oriented retail destinations. The development model was intended to be replicable. Bayer Properties trademarked The Summit name and used the Birmingham center as the basis for a broader portfolio concept. A Louisville, Kentucky, center opened under the Summit name in 2001, while another property in Reno, Nevada, opened in 2007. Additional Summit-branded projects were proposed or developed in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, Lexington, Kentucky, and the suburban Atlanta area. The Birmingham site therefore functioned both as a local shopping destination and as the prototype for Bayer's lifestyle-center branding strategy. A significant tenant dispute arose after Saks transferred the Parisian chain to Belk and Belk announced plans to convert Parisian locations. Bayer Properties sued Belk, maintaining that the Belk nameplate was not sufficiently upscale and that the conversion conflicted with a lease covenant requiring a first-class retailer. The case was settled in 2007, with terms remaining confidential. Belk nevertheless announced that the Birmingham store would become a flagship location, with expanded or upgraded brand offerings compared with its standard assortment. The store adopted the Belk name in September 2007. The developer also promoted strong customer and sales productivity. Materials aimed at prospective tenants stated that the center averaged about $500 in retail sales per square foot in 2000, compared with a cited national average of $358, and that customers spent approximately $117 per visit compared with a national figure of $87. These were developer-provided promotional figures and are historical rather than current audited performance measures. The center's subsequent history has been shaped by changes in department-store retail and tenant portfolios. The reported February 2026 plan to close the Saks Fifth Avenue location is the latest notable anchor change identified in the available reference material. Despite tenant turnover, The Summit continues to be described as an active Birmingham-area lifestyle shopping center rather than a defunct brand.

• 2026

  Saks closure announced

  [1]The Summit (Alabama)en.wikipedia.org

  Saks Fifth Avenue was reported as part of a nationwide plan to close eight stores, including the Summit location.

• 2007

  Belk conversion

  [1]The Summit (Alabama)en.wikipedia.org

  The former Parisian store adopted the Belk name after a legal dispute between Belk and Bayer Properties was settled.

• 2005

  Fourth expansion

  [1]The Summit (Alabama)en.wikipedia.org

  A further phase added approximately 20 to 30 retailers and restaurants, taking the center to nearly 1 million square feet.

• 2001

  Saks Fifth Avenue phase

  [1]The Summit (Alabama)en.wikipedia.org

  The third phase opened with Saks Fifth Avenue as its anchor.

• 2000

  Reported high retail productivity

  [1]The Summit (Alabama)en.wikipedia.org

  Bayer promotional materials cited approximately $500 in retail sales per square foot and average customer spending of $117 per visit.

• 1999

  Second development phase

  [1]The Summit (Alabama)en.wikipedia.org

  A second phase added approximately 20 retailers, including Gap.

• 1997

  Initial opening

  [1]The Summit (Alabama)en.wikipedia.org

  The Summit opened in October in Birmingham with approximately 30 retailers and restaurants, including Parisian and Barnes & Noble.

An upscale, open-air lifestyle destination combining department stores, specialty retailers, restaurants, and regional-access convenience for affluent and middle-to-upper-income Birmingham-area shoppers.

• Shopping center · 1997

  The Summit Birmingham lifestyle center

  The flagship Alabama property is an approximately 1 million-square-foot upscale lifestyle center combining department stores, specialty retail, restaurants, and services. Its outdoor-oriented format and location near major highways make it a regional destination rather than a small neighborhood retail strip.

• Department-store retail · 1997

  Department-store anchors

  The center's anchor strategy has included Parisian, later converted to Belk, and Saks Fifth Avenue. These stores have provided high-profile apparel, beauty, accessories, home, and luxury merchandise while helping define the property's upscale positioning.

• Retail and dining · 1997

  Specialty retail and restaurants

  Across successive phases, The Summit added specialty retailers such as Barnes & Noble and Gap alongside restaurants and other lifestyle-oriented tenants. The exact tenant roster changes over time, but the combination of shopping and dining remains central to the center's operating concept.

• 2026

  Saks Fifth Avenue closureOther

  Background

  Saks Fifth Avenue was included in a nationwide plan reportedly covering eight store closures.

  Action taken

  The Saks location at The Summit was announced as scheduled to close.

  Aftermath

  The closure is expected to alter the center's anchor lineup, although the available reference does not identify a replacement tenant or redevelopment plan.

  Source

• 2007

  Settlement and conversion of Parisian to BelkOther

  Background

  Belk planned to convert Parisian stores after acquiring the chain from Saks. Bayer Properties argued that the Belk positioning did not meet a lease covenant requiring a first-class retailer at The Summit.

  Action taken

  Bayer Properties filed suit against Belk. The parties settled in 2007 on undisclosed terms, and Belk converted the store in September while presenting it as a flagship location with upgraded merchandise.

  Aftermath

  The Summit retained a major department-store tenant, while the Parisian name disappeared from the property.

  Source

1. 1The Summit (Alabama)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Summit official websitethesummitonline.com