National Harbor outlets prepare for hiring frenzy in advance of November opening

Yes, I’m sure I’ll get some flack for talking about holiday shopping already, but retail addicts take note: The Tanger Outlets at National Harbor will be open in time for Black Friday.

“November 22. There’s no deviating from the date at this point,” Christi Wallace, the center’s new general manager, told me over coffee Friday. That’s when the outlet center is expected to open, a week before the largest shopping day of the year. No pressure or anything.

Wallace started on the job last month after 10 years with Westfield, most recently at the Annapolis Mall. Next on her agenda for National Harbor is a job fair scheduled for Sept. 17-18 in Fort Washington to attract candidates for the more than 900 job openings at the outlet center.

The 330,000-square-foot center will have approximately 80 retailers. Most of them are being kept hush-hush, but a few have been announced: Banana Republic, White House Black Market, Chico’s, IZOD and H&M, among others.

Wait, H&M does outlets? How much more discount can that retailer get, I wonder.

“I know … I’m personally kind of excited to find out what the price point is,” Wallace admits.

Located just outside the Capital Beltway and the D.C. line, Tanger at National Harbor will be the closest outlet center to the District, and its new GM is hoping that it complements the more boutiquey nature of National Harbor’s retail.

“I would say we are going to come out of the gate with strong sales,” said Wallace. “People are really starving for this in this area.”

The company expects that it will provide $6.5 million in sales tax revenue to the state in its first year, she said.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up