Zona Rosa

website: www.zonarosa.com

August 31, 2010
Tax Holiday Generates Many Happy Returns at Zona Rosa

Zona Rosa Town Center continues to defy regional and national economic trends, as the latest in a series of headline-grabbing special events and promotions created a buzz that drew shoppers to Zona Rosa from across state lines. That event was a weekend of sales and sales-tax-free retail energy on Saturday August 7th and Sunday August 8th, inspired by a special statewide sales tax holiday.

Missouri’s annual tax-free weekend, timed to coincide with the back-to-school shopping season, has become a highly anticipated first-weekend-in-August tradition, as Missouri’s 4.225% sales tax is waived for the weekend. Sales taxes are suspended on a range of items that includes personal computers under $3,500, articles of clothing and shoes under $100, and a wide variety of school supplies and software. And while the state tax is automatically waived on qualifying products, when it comes to the overall tax savings, the degree of participation is up to local municipalities.

In Kansas City and Platte County, Missouri, municipal and county sales taxes also took a weekend break, resulting in an impressive 8.975% tax break for Zona Rosa shoppers.

Zona Rosa General Manager Rosemary Salerno understands just how appealing a little economic boost can be for area families and acknowledged that the Steiner + Associates center’s reputation as a premier tax-holiday destination is something Zona Rosa is happy to perpetuate.

“We have been having a lot of fun with this event,” she explained, “jokingly calling it ‘Christmas in August’ and actively promoting the tax-free weekend through a variety of media channels, including print, radio, e-blasts and our Zona Rosa Facebook page. At the same time, our retailers here at Zona Rosa have been very enthusiastic and have really embraced the weekend, offering a number of sophisticated sales and promotions designed to coincide with the tax holiday and give Zona Rosa shoppers even more to look forward to.”

Whether it was the advertising, the promotions, or simply the powerful appeal of what amounts to nearly 9% savings, consumers have responded. Zona Rosa welcomed more than 95,000 visitors over the course of the weekend, a 10% increase over last year’s tax-free holiday and a boost of approximately 20-30% over a typical summer weekend.

The center’s unique location and broad regional appeal prompted a number of Kansas residents—who did not enjoy an equivalent tax holiday in their state—to cross the border and head to Zona Rosa in search of bargains. With two local news stations broadcasting live from Zona Rosa on Friday morning and another on Saturday morning, and multiple stations returning for follow-up stories to take stock after the busy weekend, it was obvious that the tax holiday story had struck a chord across the region.

As an increasingly high-profile community destination in the truest sense of the word, Zona Rosa, once again, was both at the center of the story and the center of attention.