Mall at Marathon officials yesterday announced that the next phase of a multi-year, multimillion-dollar expansion and enhancement will be "taken to the next level" with the remodelling and renovation of the mall's main entrance and the "immediate and related mall corridor".

Mall General Manager Robert Stevenson, Jr. told Guardian Business yesterday that investment in the project to date had been about $2 million, with overall planned investment expected to reach between $5 million and $6 million. Stevenson said the renovation and refurbishment of the mall is "a critical component" of the property's performance.

"Wear and tear", he pointed out, are much more important in a retail atmosphere than in other real estate concerns.

"The shopping center has to be carefully managed," Stevenson said.

In a press release announcing the continuation of the renovation and enhancement, architect Ian Fleming, of Bruce Lafleur and Associates, announced that Cavalier Construction had been selected as the general contractor for the main mall entrance remodel.

According to the release, "additional focus will be placed on the retail stores within the construction zone to undertake the installation of new prototype storefronts that will complement the overall ambience of the mall."

Carla Moss-Fitzgerald, the mall's marketing coordinator, asserted that the planned upgrades would create "a new and improved place to shop".

"The ongoing capital improvements to the shopping center is just another way that we continue to deliver on our commitment to provide a quality shopping experience to our shoppers and the community at large," she said.

And for his part, Stevenson told Guardian Business why he is excited. "The owners of the property are reinvesting for the benefit of the customers, and its fabulous," he said. "It's all about the shopper."

Officials said the continuation of the parking lot capital improvement project will continue. Street and parking upgrades have begun with the eastern areas along Marathon Road including the strip center areas, and to the western parking lot near the onsite bus stop, where an additional 137 parking spaces are being created. The work in the parking lot is scheduled to be complete by summer 2016.

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