South Jersey Business Trends

By ROBERT LINNEHAN | Business Trends
Living within an hour of fantastic beaches and shore communities is certainly a draw for people looking to move into South Jersey. Going “down to the shore” is a tradition for many vacationing families in the summer, sometimes making an exodus of almost biblical proportions during the summer months.
But, with vacationers flocking down to the shore communities on the weekends in the summer, retailers certainly notice the pinch of fewer shoppers in the area and have to think of specialized ways to bring in additional shoppers during these lean months.
June and July can be difficult months for local malls, said Lori Anzivino, marketing director for both the Voorhees Town Center and Moorestown Mall. When people leave for the shore or for vacations on the weekends, she said, retailers can definitely see the decrease of traffic in their establishments, which can make for a difficult season.
“Basically, about the third week of June and through the month of July we see our traffic decrease,” Anzivino said. “It typically picks up again from the first to second week in August and gets rolling again for back to school sales.”
The student population typically tends to pick up in the summer, she said, but sales do seem to decrease in the summer. Both malls are cognizant of this factor, she said, and offer specialized events and promotions to keep people coming to the two establishments.
Every month the mall offers Storytime events and Mommy and Me to bring in additional shoppers, Anzivino said, both of which have been popular in the past.
A new event scheduled for July, she said, is geared toward Voorhees teens. The “Music Saves Lives Blood Drive” will offer teenagers incentives to give blood for a good cause. Teenagers 17-years and older who give blood will receive an exclusive download card and a VIP Meet and Greet pass to any of the Vans Warped Tour concerts.
It will be held on Wednesday, July 8 from 2:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The “Music Saves Lives Blood Drive” will also be held at the Moorestown Mall as well on Tuesday, July 14 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“Each month we’ll have one or two events at each mall to offer to the community. A lot of people are off on vacation so we don’t want to flood them with too many events or attendance will be poor,” she said. “We kick back into gear in August for the back to school sales.”
Lisa Wolstromer, marketing director for the Cherry Hill Mall, said the township mall also experiences a drop in visitors in the summer months.
The mall population seems to now peak on Thursday and Fridays, she said, and then drops off on Saturdays and Sundays when people leave the area for the shore.
To reach customers and attract them to the mall, Wolstromer said the mall is trying something different during this summer season.
“We’re starting to advertise now down at the shore. We’re placing ads because now we have Nordstrom open, several new restaurants, and new stores,” she said.
“We really want to get the word out to the surrounding communities that we have new retailers.”
The mall has started to place billboard advertisements down in shore communities, she said. 
The Haddonfield Business District experiences the same summer woes, said Marketing Director Lisa Hurd.
Residents tend to flock to the shore or other vacation destinations, she said, so the Haddonfield Business District must craft new events to lure people downtown.
“The summer months tend to be slower. Last year, however, with the economy starting to trend downward and the advent of the ‘Staycation,’ we saw more and more people in town on the weekend,” she said. “But, we’ve amped up our summer schedule to drive up foot traffic.
“This year we have our First Friday events, which started last September. It continues throughout the summer and through the rest of the year. “
This August the borough will unveil its “Summer Sundays” program, four new events held each Sunday in August. The Sunday’s will feature food, music, and special programming at the newly revamped King’s Court on Kings Highway, Hurd said.

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