Harrison County Welcomes New Retail
On both ends of Harrison County, Mississippi, retail is sparking new growth and prosperity. D’Iberville, on the eastern side of the county, has welcomed The Promenade shopping complex with local, regional and national retailers. To the far west of the county, the city of Pass Christian recently opened a new 153,000-square-foot Walmart.
The Promenade, situated on 72 acres at the I-10/I-110 interchange, is a 700,000-square-foot development of CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. The shopping center opened in October with major anchors including Target, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Marshalls. The Promenade also offers more than 80,000 square feet of specialty shops, and restaurants including major chains Olive Garden and Red Lobster, intermixed with local and regional eateries.
In the months since The Promenade opened, sales tax revenues in D’Iberville have increased significantly. In February, the city collected $591,315, up from $407,924 in February 2008. In January, the increase was more than $100,000 from the previous year.
The new shopping center is expected to generate annual sales in excess of $185 million and create more than 1,000 new jobs for the area. With the surrounding market population of more than 320,000, 120,000 cars passing the shopping center each day, and more retailers to come including Kohl’s Department Store and Michael’s Arts & Crafts, The Promenade will bring continued growth to the city of D’Iberville.
Across the county, the city of Pass Christian has also embraced the arrival of its new retail facility – a beachfront Walmart Supercenter. The new store, which also opened in October, replaces the Walmart that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and has been redesigned based on the company’s efforts to refresh its stores and improve the customer experience.
The new store employs approximately 300 people, including more than 30 associates who were working at the store prior to Hurricane Katrina and returned to work at the new store.
In addition to the added jobs and a surge in sales tax revenues for the city of Pass Christian, Walmart is bringing ongoing charitable contributions to the community. The Walmart Foundation has presented grants and support to local organizations like the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Boys and Girls Club of the Gulf Coast, the Pass Christian and Long Beach fire and police departments, and area schools.
With the new retail facilities in both of these cities, as well as all that lies between – Long Beach with a $6 million renovation of its downtown retail district, Gulfport with Prime Outlets, Crossroads Shopping Center, a new Best Buy and new Sam’s Club, and Biloxi with Edgewater Mall and Edgewater Village Shopping Center, Harrison County has a lot to offer shoppers, as well retailers and restaurateurs looking to share in the success.
