Sugarloaf Mills

Sugarloaf Mills Mall
Main entrance, c. July 2016
LocationLawrenceville, Georgia, United States
Coordinates33°58′50″N 84°04′52″W / 33.9805°N 84.0810°W / 33.9805; -84.0810
Address5900 Sugarloaf Pkwy, 30043
Opening dateNovember 2, 2001 (2001-11-02)
Previous namesDiscover Mills (2001–2012)
DeveloperThe Mills Corporation
KanAm Grund Group
ManagementSimon Property Group
Owner
Stores and services184
Anchor tenants14
Floor area1,183,000 square feet (109,900 m2)
Floors1
ParkingLighted lot and multi-level parking deck
Public transitSugarloaf Mills Park & Ride
Websitewww.simon.com/mall/sugarloaf-mills

Sugarloaf Mills, formerly Discover Mills, is a 1,183,000-square-foot (109,900 m2) single-story shopping mall in suburban Metro Atlanta, located in Lawrenceville in Gwinnett County, Georgia, near the interchange of Interstate 85 and Highway 316. Opened in 2001, the mall features 13 anchors, 184 specialty retailers, and a variety of theme restaurants, casual dining, and entertainment venues.[2]

History

Development and opening

The Mills Corporation began planning Sugarloaf Mills as a joint venture with KanAm on a 230-acre site at Interstate 85 and Sugarloaf Parkway in Gwinnett County, and an initial budget of $170 million. The original (and now current) name, Sugarloaf Mills was named after the mall's planned situation near Sugarloaf Parkway.[3] The site began getting ready for construction in early 2000. 80% of the property was cleared by March.[4]

The "Discover Mills" name

The mall opened on November 2, 2001, as Discover Mills. The name change from Sugarloaf Mills to Discover Mills was because of a 10-year co-marketing partnership with Discover Financial Services, which acquired the naming rights in exchange for promoting the card as the preferred payment option and integrating special offers with the mall's stores and restaurants. It was one of the first malls in the United States to do so.[5] The Mills Corporation had granted the naming rights specifically to Discover Card, and thus originally given the name Discover Mills as well as the tagline "Where Discover Card Is The Smart Choice". [6]

After opening

Discover Mills became a "shoppertainment" mall following additions of AMC Theatres (operating as AMC Discover Mills 18) in December 2003,[7] and Medieval Times in 2006.[8][9]

In February 2007, Mills Corp.'s portfolio, including Discover Mills, would be acquired by the Simon Property Group and Farallon Capital Management for $25.25 per share.[10]

In November 2009, Dave & Busters opened at Discover Mills, replacing Jillian's.[11]

In March 2012, Simon Property Group acquired full control of Discover Mills by buying out Farallon's stake in the Mills portfolio for $1.5 billion.[12]

In October 2012, the naming rights with Discover Card expired. Instead of renewing the naming rights, Simon Property Group reverted the mall to its original planning name, Sugarloaf Mills.[13] Following the renaming, Simon renovated Sugarloaf Mills to reflect the new name. This included the rebranding of AMC Discover Mills 18 to AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18.[7][14]

Simon Property Group struggled to refinance over $100 million in debt of Sugarloaf Mills in September 2018, leading to concerns regarding imminent default. CWCapital Asset Management took over a $105M and $18.4M loan held by Omega Advisors on September 13.[15] Simon corrected the issue by reducing the principal balance by over 25% on the senior note from $135 million to about $100 million, preventing the risk of foreclosure.[16]

In October 2025, Primark announced that it would open a 30,000-square-foot store in 2026, replacing the former Neiman Marcus Last Call.[17]

References

  1. ^ "Funds under management". KanAm Gruppe.
  2. ^ "Where Are the Best Outlet Malls in the Atlanta Area?". TripSavvy. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  3. ^ "Discover Mills clears series of firsts for malls - Atlanta Business Chronicle". www.bizjournals.com. March 6, 2000. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  4. ^ "Discover Mills clears series of firsts for malls - Atlanta Business Chronicle". www.bizjournals.com. March 6, 2000. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  5. ^ The Mills Corporation Announces the Grand Opening of Discover Mills
  6. ^ "Discover a new mall, marketing idea". cutimes. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  7. ^ a b "AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18". Cinema Treasures.
  8. ^ Lanuza, Celeste; Wolaver, Nicholas (August 10, 2006). "Medieval Times Kingdom Now in Lawrenceville". The Atlanta Constitution. pp. P37. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  9. ^ Poole, Shelia (November 5, 2018). "A queen will take charge at Medieval Times Atlanta". The Atlanta Constitution. pp. D2. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  10. ^ "Mills to be acquired by Simon and Farallon for $25.25 each". CBNC. February 16, 2007. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  11. ^ Reports, Staff (November 8, 2009). "Dave & Buster's holds 2-day grand opening". Gwinnett Daily Post. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  12. ^ "Simon Property Group announces two strategic acquisitions". Simon Investors.
  13. ^ Discover Mills renamed Sugarloaf Mills Deprecated link archived 2013-01-16 at archive.today NBC 11 Atlanta (11 Alive), September 21, 2012.
  14. ^ "Discover Mills changes name". ajc. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  15. ^ tscg (September 25, 2018). "$100M-Plus Loans On Sugarloaf Mills Facing 'Imminent Default'". TSCG. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  16. ^ "Sugarloaf Mills". CW. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  17. ^ "Fast-fashion retailer Primark to open store in metro Atlanta". Atlanta Business Chronicle. October 7, 2025. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
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