Macerich, the owner of Santa Monica Place, announced on February 12 that it would be delaying the opening of the remodeled mall until mid 2010.
Bob Abtaker, Macerich’s Vice President of Development, explained that after Macy’s decided to convert its Santa Monica Macy’s to a Bloomingdale’s “we decided to explore a new timeline for the project. We decided to move the SMP opening to mid 2010 because it makes sense to open the property with at least one anchor store open.” The other anchor store that also will be opening in 2010 is Nordstrom’s.
Abtaker made the announcement to a crowd gathered on the site of the mall’s new third-level dining deck which will contain an enclosed food court, an outside dining deck, quick service options, public gathering spaces, and a six-foot glass wall that will protect guests from the wind.
Macerich’s Vice-President of Leasing, Ann Singleton, announced that three new restaurants would be joining the mix on the dining deck. They are Zwengo which will offer eclectic Latin-Asian cuisine, La Scandia, an upscale modern Mexican concept, and Pizza Antica, which will specialize in hand-made pizzas and other Italian fare.
Singleton stated the mall’s goal is to strive “for a great mix of the higher end, balanced along with affordable fashion” to cater to the different audiences that will use the project. She then announced eight new retailers that would become part of the mix. They were Artevo, a technology-driven art gallery, Ed Hardy, a tattoo-inspired fashion concept, Ilori, offering luxury sunglasses, Love Culture, featuring fashions for young women, LTJ Arthur, offering chic family homewear and beachwear, Michael Brandon, a Los Angeles based sportswear collection, R.O.C. Republic of Couture, a boutique for designer brands, and Shuz, featuring comfortable footwear.
Literature from Macerich states they hope the remodeled mall will draw upscale shoppers from the area bordered by Marina Del Rey, the I-405, Beverly Hills, the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean as well as the many visitors that frequent Santa Monica every year. They want their merchandise to complement, rather than replicate, the offerings in Santa Monica’s retail scene.Macerich mentions that in their retail studies of Santa Monica they found there were “unmet local needs for fresh, compelling and consistent retail options that align with the shopping preferences of the community’s affluent and sophisticated residents.” Currently, these customers are leaving Santa Monica to shop at the Westside Pavilion or in Century City.
