Q & A
“ MALLS ARE BECOMING EXPERIENTIAL. YOU CAN TOUCH AND FEEL THINGS AND HAVE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES.”
From Farming to Fendi Meet Jamie Cox, the general manager of The Mall at Short Hills WRITTEN BY CINDYSCHWEICH HANDLER PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNE-MARIE CARUSO
Jamie Cox has come along way to arrive at his current position. Hehas risen at 4a. m. to feed cows and horses, worked at abig box retailer, and pushed carts inparking lots. Born inEngland, he grew uponanisland north of Seattle, and oversaw real estate properties inCalifornia, London, New York and Houston before being named general manager of the The Mall at Short Hills last summer. His job is to build on the mall’ s success— itwas one of a few dozen tobegiven an A ++ rating byresearch firm Green Street Advisors— atatime when competitors are closing their doors. We talked to the area resident about running aworld-renowned shopping destination, and the changes shoppers can expect.
IS YOUR FAMILY BACKGROUND IN RETAIL SALES? Igrewuponalittle self-sustainingfamily farm. I did my chores beforeI got on the school bus, then came home and did more chores. Ibailed hayfor 16 hours on some days. But the farm boy mentality helped with perseverance. When youdomanual labor, you put your head down and work hard, and that’ s how you get ahead. My retirement dream has a barn in it. I did study business at Washington State University.
WHAT SKILLS SHOULD A GOOD MALL MANAGER HAVE? Toooften, people park, go into their offices and get into their email. When you manage a mall, you need to drivearound the whole property, go into the parking decks and ask“ Why is it this way?” I’ ll walk the full mall to seewhich window displays and signage have changed, and if anything’ sout of place. Itry not to bury my head in my cell phone when I do this. I also try to support competent people while they dotheir jobs. I’ ve learned thatyou canget the most out of people if you show an honest effort to develop them. I get the most pleasure as a leader watching employees succeed, even if it means they get promotions that takethem away from me.
HAVE YOU MADE ANY MAJOR CHANGES SINCE TAKING THIS JOB?
We had an incident in 2013 [ a fatal carjacking in the parking garage ]. I wanted to know, what was our response? Who are the local players? I formed tight relationships with the police, the Millburn fire department, Department of Homeland Security and state troopers. Our security team has a close relationship with these guys. I’ ll call the police chief’ s office at 6 p. m. about something that’ s not even urgent, and they’ ll call me back that night.
DO YOU SEE ANY TRENDS DEVELOPING IN THE WAYPEOPLE SHOP? Malls are becoming experiential. You can touch and feel things and have hands-on experiences. You can talk to the staff about howproducts are made and sourced, make purchases and have them sent to your house. Restoration Hardware, Peloton Cycle and a variety of other players have stores with showroom setups. Boll & Branch is a luxury home goods business out of Summit that’ s found amazing success online, and we have their first physicalstore.
IN ASTATEWITH SO MANY MALLS, WHATSETSSHORTHILLS APART FROMTHE REST? There’ sno clutter, no carts, knickknacks in the general area, or wings where you can get lost. We have white ceilings with skylights and natural light, so it’ s like walking through the Guggenheim Museum— that’ s how I felt when I first walked through the mall. There’ s no food court, no kids eating mall food; the restaurants are sit-down, with full service. We have 42 stores that are unique to the state of NewJersey, and a luxury lineup that brings in people from out of state.
WHAT ADDITIONS CAN SHOP- PERS LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE NEAR FUTURE? We’ re focusing now on the redevelopment of the Saks building, and I’ m pleased to announce that the first level isbeing taken up by Indigo, Canada’ s largest bookseller. At 30,000 square feet, it’ s more of a store than a bookstore. They’ re successful becausethey pair gifts and other experiences— cookware for sale alongside cookbooks, for example. Our second floor tenant is already in the mall, but is undergoing a huge expansion. We have some new restaurateurs coming in, too.
HOW ARE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY SET- TLINGINTO THE AREA? It’ sfantastic. The school system is fantastic. It’ s the ideal location for us. My extended family movedback to England, but my wife is from Pennsylvania. It’ s important to get back to family. ■
56 SPRING 2018 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE