Gateway expansion includes Old Navy

Old Navy will join its siblings, The Gap and Banana Republic, at The Gateway on Thursday.

The new 14,800-square-foot store, located at the north end of the Salt Lake shopping complex near the Olympic Legacy Fountain, is comparable in size to the combined square footage of The Gateway's Gap concept stores, according to mall spokeswoman Heather Nash.

When Old Navy opens Thursday, it will be the latest retailer in The Gateway's newest expansion, dubbed "Phase Two." Famous Footwear, located across from the new Old Navy store, opened a few weeks ago, Nash said. Another clothier, Chico's, recently relocated to the north end, and Office Depot will follow in another few weeks.

The Boyer Co. announced in May 2005 that it had sold the Phase One portion of The Gateway — which includes the bulk of the shopping center's existing retail stores and restaurants — to Illinois-based Inland Western Retail Real Estate Trust, which also took over management of the property. The Boyer Co. kept the leasing duties for Phase One and ownership of the Phase Two portion and the development's office buildings.

"Next year, though they haven't announced who yet, there will be a total of three new retailers in that Phase Two area," Nash said.

As of Monday, Boyer Co. president Jake Boyer said that in addition to the tenants already named, juniors' fashion retailer Forever 21 is expected to open its doors at the Phase Two expansion by the end of the year.

"They'll do a 13,000-square-foot flagship store at The Gateway," Boyer said. "They're one of the hottest tenants in the market right now, so we're very excited to have them."

In addition, Boyer said shoe retailer Aldo has signed a lease to occupy Chico's former space in the Phase One portion of The Gateway. Aldo is expected to open in the next month or two, he said.

Old Navy has 10 other stores in Utah, two of them in Salt Lake City proper — at the Family Center at 634 E. 400 South, and at The Commons at Sugarhouse, 1168 E. 2100 South. The company closed its 37,443-square-foot store at 100 South and Main, downtown's fourth largest retail space, in 2003.

When that closure was announced, in July 2003, The Boyer Co. met with Gap Inc. officials regarding the possibility of Old Navy moving to The Gateway. The following week, Boyer's then-president, Kem Gardner, said the political climate wasn't favorable to the move and that the Boyer Co. had no wish to feed the perception that The Gateway was "raiding Main Street."

As part of Old Navy's grand opening celebration this weekend, the first 100 customers to visit the new store on Saturday, Oct. 28 and Sunday, Oct. 29, will receive a free T-shirt while supplies last, Old Navy spokeswoman Janice Healey said.

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E-mail: jnii@desnews.com