Macerich, the owner of Santa Monica Place (SMP), has just released the names of some of the new restaurants and retailers that will be part of the mall when it reopens after its remodel is completed in the fall of 2009.
The new sit-down restaurants will be located on SMP’s rooftop dining deck, which will also contain a food court and both indoor and outdoor eating areas. Anne Singleton, Macerich’s Vice President of Leasing, told the Mirror that the dining deck would ultimately contain eight sit- down restaurants.
So far, two San Francisco-based sit-down eateries have leased spaces on the dining deck. XINO Restaurant and Lounge will serve a modern version of classic Chinese cuisine created by noted chef Chris Yeo. Ozumo, the other restaurant, will serve Japanese cuisine.
According to Singleton, Macerich is in the process of finding six other restaurants to ensure a “variety of offerings” for all tastes. She also explained that the new food court will hold up to nine different offerings, and that Macerich decided to eliminate an entire floor of retail as part of the mall remodel so the entire third level would be dedicated to food service.
The other two levels of the mall will contain 80 to 100 specialty retail spaces. The final number will be determined by each individual store’s space requirements. Six retailers have already signed leases: Kitson, a California casual fashion retailer; Coach, a creator of fine accessories and gifts; BCBG Max Azria, a contemporary women’s clothing and accessories brand; Joe’s Jeans, a retailer of trend-setting denim; True Religion, a premium denim sportswear and accessories brand; and Lacoste, the venerable French sportswear brand.
Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s will become the mall’s two anchor stores. In Macerich’s September press release Michael Gould, Bloomingdale’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, explained that the Santa Monica Place Bloomingdale’s would be based on a SoHo concept “which will feature tightly edited assortments of contemporary men’s and women’s merchandise tailored for the Santa Monica area.”
Singleton noted that Macerich’s overall goal in leasing out Santa Monica Place is to ensure that they can satisfy the needs of the locals, daytime population, and tourists that will visit the mall. They also want to “complement the existing retail and restaurant mix already offered on the Third Street Promenade and the surrounding area.”