By Melissa St. Aude | Casa Grande Dispatch
When the 1.7-million-square-foot PhoenixMart opens its doors in November of 2014, Chief Executive Officer Steve Betts says, he expects each of the huge complex’s
1,750 showroom suites will be leased and occupied.
“We already have a lot of letters of intent,” Betts said in an interview with the Casa Grande Dispatch.
PhoenixMart, which Betts describes as “like a permanent trade show,” is scheduled for an October groundbreaking on a 585- acre swath near Florence Boulevard and Toltec Buttes Road.
McCarthy Construction — a nationwide company and builders of several unique structures near Tempe Town Lake — will build PhoenixMart.
“McCarthy Construction is good at building unique buildings like the whimsical
ones in Tempe that look like ships sailing into the water,” Betts said. “We have
confidence they will do a good-quality job.”
Construction is expected to take less than a year and Betts said the project is not complex.
“It’s the sewer, water and street improvements that are complex,” Betts said. “We’re submitting plans and waiting on final approval from the city.”
Once building begins, PhoenixMart will be one of the largest structures under
construction in the country, Betts said.
The project is likely to create a variety of construction jobs.
“McCarthy understands we want local talent and local materials as much as
possible on this job,” Betts said.
PhoenixMart is described as a one-stop shop for wholesale and retail buyers. It is modeled after similar developments in Yiwu, China, and in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Buyers — such as those for hotels, restaurants or various other businesses — can find everything from bedding and linens to phones and faucets organized under one roof.
The facility’s showroom suites will be organized by category with different sec- tions for home and hotel, industrial and auto, electronics and accessories, food and
beverage, office and recreation, and fashion and variety.
While PhoenixMart is financed largely by foreign investors, leasing of showroom suites is being marketed to North American manufacturers in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
“That’s the marketing strategy, that this is a sourcing center for North America,” Betts said.
But he said the company has fielded calls from manufacturers in other countries as well. When the facility opens, he expects a blend of domestic and international companies.
