Despite its pending foreclosure status and upcoming sale, Preferred Outlets at Warrenton will be undergoing a name change. The shopping center will once again be known as the Warrenton Outlet Center, management officials announced Monday, the same day the name change went into effect. According to a press release, the change was made to “better showcase the outlets location in the heart of Warrenton.” All signage on the mall’s premises will soon be changed, the press release stated, and the name change will be reflected in print advertising for the upcoming holiday season. The outlet mall continues to be managed by the Woodmont Company, which was appointed to oversee operations of the shopping center after the property went into receivership status. Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, the company specializes in development, asset management, tenant representation, brokerage and construction supervision. The mall was formerly known as the Warrenton Outlet Center but was renamed following the completion of a 2006 sale from Horizon Group Properties to Prescott Capital Management, which owned the shopping center until defaulting on its loan. The property, consisting of three lots, had been scheduled to be sold at a trustee’s sale at the Warren County Courthouse, most recently as last Wednesday, but the sale has been postponed multiple times. According to the law firm representing the lender, the trustee’s sale has been delayed for internal reasons. The trustee’s sale is now slated to be held on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. at the Warren County Courthouse. Attempts to reach management officials by phone and email for further comment were unsuccessful. The Warrenton Outlet Center opened in September 1993 with about 119,000 square feet of space. A second phase was added two years later, boosting the center’s total retail space to just under 200,000 square feet. In its heyday, the outlet mall was an attractive shopping destination for local and regional residents. In the past few years, however, the mall has experienced a sharp decline in tenants which has been attributed to a tough economic climate and competition from other retail developments in St. Charles County. Two of the more popular stores that recently closed their Warrenton locations were The Gap and Dress Barn, which are now both located near each other in Wentzville. Currently, the outlet mall has only 15 businesses operating out of the facility. The Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce also has an office in the mall’s main atrium.