Northpark Mall Creates “Incredible Differentiator” With New Indoor Play Area

January 25, 2012

“We are the only enclosed shopping center in the market,” says Susan C. Sgrignoli, General Manager. “Adding a family friendly amenity like an indoor playground will truly make us different and special. This play area is going to be an incredible market differentiator for us.”

Located in Ridgeland, MS and owned by Simon Property Group, Northpark Mall recently held a grand opening to introduce its new soft foam play area to the community. According to Sgrignoli, this is the first play area of its kind in a Mississippi shopping center.

“In our metropolitan market, we’re the only climate-conditioned shopping center. All of the others in the area are outdoor centers,” says Sgrignoli, CPM, CSM, CMD. “It gets quite toasty in the summer and chilly in the winter. Our families will be thrilled to visit a comfortable indoor play area with their children year-round.”

Gia Maloney, Northpark Mall Director of Marketing and Business Development, agrees, saying, “It will definitely provide an added benefit to shoppers already here and, once word gets out, the play area will definitely drive more people to the mall.”

Simon Property Group has a well-established and beloved kids program called Kidgits Club. Northpark Mall alone has over 3,000 active Kidgits Club members. So, Maloney says, “It just makes sense that we would provide an added value for families who shop at our mall.”

The Kidgits-themed play area was designed, manufactured and installed by PLAYTIME LLC.. Sgrignoli describes herself as a “big fan” of PLAYTIME and was able to visit the company’s Colorado headquarters during her mall’s play area purchasing process.

“I stopped by the PLAYTIME offices to look around and to remind myself why I was so excited about our new play area,” says Sgrignoli, describing the colorful soft foam characters that adorn PLAYTIME’s state-of-the-art design studios and manufacturing plant. “My favorite was the bear coming out of the wall with the bee hive on his nose. There were so many cute ideas that spawned even further inspiration for our own play area.”

Both Sgrignoli and Maloney are very excited to provide a new shopping amenity to families.

“Our play area is located next to a huge bank of windows, so it’s a park-like setting,” says Sgrignoli. “This is a beautiful investment.”