Design World Center At The Fashion Mall Begins Construction. Over 70% of 150,000 sq. ft. Design Center Leased

Furniture World Magazine

Izzy Ashkenazy, CEO and developer of Plantation-based Design World Center, a full-service home improvement and home furnishing/interior design center/ featuring kitchens, appliances, accessories, carpeting, rugs, ceramic tile, furniture, lighting, marble, stone, window treatments, spas, pools, and outdoor furniture has begun phase one of transforming the existing Fashion Mall at Plantation into a 150,000 sq. ft. design-concept retail center. “We recognize the importance of providing the Broward and Miami Dade-County market with a variety of service-oriented retail design options all under one roof, ” said Ashkenazy. The current Fashion Mall at Plantation will be transformed to provide a one-stop shopping experience, providing the smaller professional merchant to compete with the big box retailers. “Although top-design at the right price point will be our mission, our home improvement and home furnishing tenants will focus on providing strong customer service,” said Ashkenazy. Design World Center will also lease space to existing major national retailers, restaurants as well as new design-concept retailers. Some of the newly signed tenants include Muvico 20, EL Kitchens, Vita Spa, Tile USA, Very Vertical, Roma Marble & Granite, Collage of Carpet, Culinary Concepts, Florida Plumbing, Florida Kitchen Appliances, Ceaser Roman Stone, Great House Design and Destination Kitchen and Bath. Tenants such as Macy’s, Lord & Taylor, Sheraton Hotels, Brasserie Max, Cilantro’s Grill, Barnie’s Coffee and Tea, Godiva Chocolatier, the Gap, Victoria’s Secret, the Limited, Express, Bath & Body Works, Brookstone, Ann Taylor, Enzo Angiolini, will continue to lease space within the Design World Center. With construction already underway for the Design World Center, the center’s projected grand opening date remains firm for the fall of 2003. Design World Center is affiliated with the New York-based Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation, a national owner and operator of more than five million square feet of retail and office property in California, Chicago, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York and Texas. Ashkenazy Acquisition specializes in maximizing the value of retail real estate through aggressive, hands-on management techniques. The firm typically buys highly visible properties that have tremendous long-term stability and upside and are anchored by premier national retailers such as the Barney’s $180 million portfolio it purchased in 2001. Design World Center’s website is at www.designworldcenter.com.