Body Central Coming to Burnsville Center

Burnsville Center will soon be home to Minnesota's first Body Central, a fast fashion chain that is undergoing rapid expansion. 

Body Central, or Body Shop as it is known in some parts, was established in Jacksonville, FL in 1973. Body Central focuses on women in their teens and twenties. The chain's price range and offerings are similar to Forever 21, H & M or Charlotte Russe.

Body Central's growth kicked into high gear after October 2006, when the Rosenbaums, the company's founding family, sold a controlling interest in Body Central to a group of outside investors associated with WestView Capital Partners, L.P. The company made an initial public offfering in October 2010, and is now listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol BODY.

Since then, Body Central has grown by leaps and bounds, in spite of the recession. As of 2011, Body Central counted 221 stores in 24 states across the south, mid-Atlantic and midwest. By Dec. 31, 2012 the company had 276 locations in the US, an increase of almost 25 percent. 

"While the company had a tough sales year in 2012, many initiatives were undertaken to build the infrastructure to support continued growth," Brian P. Woolf, Body Central's CEO, stated in the company's annual report. "We expect current trends in our business to continue to be weak through the first half of this year...Longer term, we are optimistic about our business model and the niche we can continue to develop in the fast fashion segment."

The chain plans to open 25 new stores in 2013. To apply for a job at Body Central, click here.

In other mall news:

• Air Traffic will celebrate its grand re-opening on Saturday, March 16
from noon to 6:30 p.m. The new and improved store is just down the stairs from its old location. 

• Tuesday Morning is back and better than ever. After going dormant for a spell, the shop has reopened in a larger space at Burnsville Marketplace, the Pioneer Press reports.