Community Pulse: Should Gilroy be concerned about the new outlet mall?

As a community, should Gilroy be concerned about the new outlet mall opening in Livermore attracting away a significant chunk of business?

• Sure, it would be prudent for council to expect a pull back in tax revenues due to competing outlets. If there is no decline, great. 
•  Initially yes, but I think if we continue to promote the other attributes of the town, we’ll be fine … plus all the tour buses from the Valley will still head here. 
• Yes. The Livermore Outlets are further from San Jose and the Peninsula, but closer to some East Bay shoppers. I think we will lose some business, which will affect our sales tax and other businesses such as restaurants and gas stations. Maybe even our overnight lodging will be affected. 
• No. The location is far enough away that the impact will be minor. That said, Gilroy should continue to pursue industry diversification so we are not singly reliant on sales tax generation in balancing our budget. 
• Livermore? Where is Livermore? No, I don’t think that Gilroy should be worried about the new outlet mall opening somewhere so far away. Unless there is a CAbi outlet, then yes, maybe we as a community should be worried. 
• Not at all. There is enough distance between our cities, and Gilroy still has history behind it. Also, the Gilroy outlets are expanding to provide more variety!! 
• Yes. Lots of people in the San Francisco Bay Area come down to our outlets. I’m thinking Livermore is a closer drive to them, has almost as many stores, is new and has more high-end fashion stores. 
• Yes. We need to continuously work on being the best and draw new people all the time. 
• Yes, one should always be concerned about competition. The idea is to understand it and prepare for it. 
• No. Competition is a good thing and if shoppers have come to our outlets and then tried Livermore’s outlets perhaps they can then decide which location offers them more in terms of variety and customer service, not to mention ease of location. 
• Yes, it may. We’ve had a long run and stood our ground against the Great Mall and a few other attractions. It’s interesting that Livermore’s profile is so similar to Gilroy’s. Veteran outlet shoppers may remember going to the actual garment district around Brannan & Third in buses or on our own. Those outings seldom happen any more. One hoped-for outcome of competition is a better product. Perhaps we’ll see some innovation.