SAN JOSE — Santana Row in San Jose, described by its principal owner as one of the parent company’s “big four” centers, has landed new merchants, including an outdoor gear retailer.
YETI, which specializes in outdoor apparel and equipment, held a grand opening on Thursday for its new store in Santana Row, a mixed-use destination center of shops, restaurants, homes, offices and hotels.
The new site represents the first time YETI has opened a store in the Bay Area or anywhere in Northern California, the retailer said.
Several merchant openings are currently in the works at Santana Row, according to Collette Navarrette, senior marketing director at Santana Row, whose principal owner and developer is Federal Realty Investment Trust.
Among the new openings:
— YETI, a global designer, retailer and distributor of cutting-edge outdoor items. Its products include coolers, drinkware, backpacks and bags. YETI opened on Thursday.
— Suspiro, a Peruvian and Spanish fusion restaurant from the owners of the popular El Jardin and Zazil restaurants at Santana Row.
— Urban Plates, a restaurant that provides seasonally inspired dishes made from scratch using locally sourced ingredients.
— Fitoor, an Indian grill and lounge. The Fitoor team is also behind ROOH, a Michelin-rated Indian restaurant in Palo Alto. The Fitoor menu showcases food from multiple regions in India. The food is sourced from local and seasonal ingredients.
“New concepts add depth and curiosity to the Santana Row experience,” Navarrette said.
In a recent conference call to discuss the real estate firm’s quarterly financial results, Donald Wood, Federal Realty’s chief executive officer, highlighted Santana Row as one of the company’s “big four” mixed-use communities that are performing particularly well in a post-coronavirus economy.
The success comes as some Bay Area malls have struggled amid a shift to online shopping.
YETI executives believe San Jose made sense for its first store in Northern California.
“As the premiere destination for shopping and entertainment in the heart of San Jose, Santana Row made for the perfect location for our first Northern California YETI retail store,” said Faiz Ahmad, chief commercial officer at YETI. “California is home to consumers who share our passion” for the outdoors.