The Three New Jersey Shopping Centers Battling It Out for Luxury Domination

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

With the Financial District's luxury battle all but settled, high-end retailers are looking across the river — but not just to the much-hyped American Dream Mall that's slated to open in 2017. In Northern New Jersey, shopping centers like the Westfield Garden State Plaza and The Shops as Riverside are also vying to grab some of the most coveted names in fashion.

According to WWD, Garden State Plaza in Paramus recently added Burberry, Ferragamo, Longchamp, and Versace to its existing line-up of Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Tag Heuer, and Tiffany & Co., which are all anchored by the Neiman Marcus department store (Victoria's Secret and Pink stores were shifted to help make this happen). The mall provides valet service, a lounge with coat check, and a concierge service where customers can make reservations — "similar to a hotel lobby experience," the plaza's general manager told the paper.

Meanwhile, The Shops at Riverside is looking to bolster its high-end clientele with a new section titled The Collection at Riverside, and it's hoping to bring in brands like Chanel, Saint Laurent, Chloé, Dior, and Jimmy Choo to join the Bloomingdale's department store.

This move is partly because Saks Fifth Avenue defected to the American Dream Mall, along with sister stores Saks Off Fifth and Lord & Taylor. The Shops is replacing it with restaurants, and a movie theater, but those offerings pale in comparison to everything American Dream plans to offer, from a water park to an indoor ski slope. In terms of shopping options, it looks like anyone is welcome: Hermès, Microsoft, and Toys R Us are among the confirmed tenants, along with some more typical mall names.