Cutting Corners: Shoppers Flock To High End Outlet Mall In Sunrise

SUNRISE (CBS4) - There is a new trend catching on in South Florida: outlet shopping. The newly opened Colonnade Outlets at the Sawgrass Mills mall in Sunrise is seeing an uptick in shoppers looking to update their spring wardrobes and save a little cash in the process.

"I come here every time I come to Florida," said Ruth Wenig.

It is a row of high end stores which allow shoppers to get really high priced items for much less.

It's catching on with names like Burberry, Sax Fifth Avenue, the new Prada store and Mandarina Duck.

"We have the outlet price the red price and depending on the weekend we go anywhere from 40-60 percent off," said Manny Pena, Manager of Mandarina Duck.

Designers like St. John, Theory and Tag Heuer are there and the savings mark the changing economic times.

The growth can be seen in the numbers

"It has been phenomenal for us. We have had double digit increases in sales for the last three years," said Marcos Freire, Assistant General Manager for Sawgrass Mills Mall.

The savings are here and so are the high end stores which make South Florida a shopping destination.

"It is very convenient the stores are nice and the people are nice," said Wenig.

The Sawgrass Mills Mall is planning another expansion for the Colonnade Outlets in 2012.