SMR brings home shopping to UTC

You’ve probably headed to The Mall at University Town Center to shop for clothing, shoes and jewelry, but now you can add homes to the list of shopping options.

On Feb. 18, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch unveiled its new interactive lounge in front of H&M, inside the mall’s south wing.

“It’s a good branding opportunity for us to get our name out there,” SMR President and CEO Rex Jensen said. “This is an eye-catching (display).”

The space features a lounge area, where guests can sit in leather chairs and look through Lakewood Ranch’s builders and models on tablets. A kiosk station also provides a place for guests to stand and search for information and ask questions of an on-site ambassador, who  will be on duty about 40 hours per week. 

Billboards depicting polo, the Ancient Oak Gun Club, Premier Sports Campus and other amenities and features also offer glimpses into the Lakewood Ranch’s offerings. 

“The point is to drive traffic (to Lakewood Ranch),” said Jimmy Stewart, vice president of sales for SMR subsidiary LWR Communities, adding that last year, Lakewood Ranch had 28,000 visitors to its builder models and information centers. “This is to whet the appetite of the consumer. This is going to support us.”

SMR has signed a five-year lease for the space.

Jensen said he hopes to expand the lounge’s offerings in the future by creating a build-your-own brochure. Customers would enter personal information such as family size, hobbies and home preferences into tablets. Then,  the machine would sort through its community and builder options to provide a customized suggestion list for prospective homebuyers.

“It would help steer the customer,” Jensen said. “I’d like to get to it quickly.”

SMR’s marketing department and Taubman Centers, the mall’s co-owner, have been working on the lounge project since May.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].