High-end outlet center opens near Maricopa

Phoenix Premium Outlets at Wild Horse Pass opened grandly Thursday giving Maricopa residents access to high-end stores with year-round savings.

The 360,000-square-foot outlet center, built in conjunction with the Gila River Indian Community, houses 90 outlet stores that offer everyday savings of 25 percent to 65 percent compared to retailers.

The grand opening celebration lasts through Sunday and includes live entertainment and special in-store promotions. Click here for a full list of promotions. 

Stores include Coach, Adidas, Banana Republic, Michael Kors, Nike, Fossil, Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th and many more.

Maricopa residents T.J. and Lisa Thornal attended the grand opening in hopes of finding great deals.

“I love to shop for deals and I always have to drive so far, so having this so close is great,” Lisa Thornal said.

Until now, the closest mall with similar stores was Outlets at Anthem in Phoenix, which is 70 miles from Maricopa.

“It’s awesome to have it so close instead of having to drive up to Anthem for something like this,” T.J. Thornal said. “I don’t think it’s that bad of a drive at all; it was 15 minutes, tops.”

Lisa Thornal said she was most excited to check out the high-end stores like Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th.

The Saks at the outlet center is the third in Arizona, said Robert Wallstrom, president of Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th.

“This is a great opportunity to further service more of our customers in the Phoenix market,” he said.

He said the outlet store differs from the regular stores in that it focuses on providing more style, more service and more savings to its customers.

“We still have all the great brands, great trends and great quality that you would want out of a Saks Fifth Avenue experience, but at the same time we bring great savings,” he said.

For another store, Calphalon Kitchen Outlet, the Phoenix Premium Outlet center is its first location in Arizona.

“With the diversity here of the customers coming in from Canada and Mexico we really can, hopefully, expand our brand,” Calphalon territory manager Ken Kucia said.

Kucia said he encourages Maricopa residents to visit his store if they want the best savings on kitchen supplies.

“We typically run most of our merchandise 40 percent off versus the retailers and we run a lot of special buys,” he said. “Every weekend we have something different.”

He also said the employees’ knowledge of the brand sets them apart from other kitchen-supply stores.

“We know our brand inside and out,” he said. We’re all foodies and we love helping people with their pan choices, with recipes and cooking tips.”