Luxury retail brands are still being drawn to South Coast Plaza.
Representatives of the shopping center, one of the highest-grossing malls in the country and now in its 55th year of operation, say the Costa Mesa mall is set to announce a series of new additions over the course of 2022.
This includes renovations, like the recent reopening of 184-year-old French brand Hermès. After Tiffany & Co.’s spot opened across the way from its original location, Hermès decided to make the move to a larger storefront and remodel its look.
Citing inspiration from the Southern California environment, the store’s inside has coastal touches like a surfwear display and surrounding gradient clay and beaten sand walls.
The new location sits across from Chanel, close to the mall’s Nordstrom.
The new boutique space expands the store’s size from 4,300 square feet to 7,100 square feet, spread among U-shaped interior with a trio of entry points.
“A significantly larger space will allow us to expand our offering of hand-crafted objects, as well as enhance our services and comfort to all our clients,” Hermès USA CEO and President Robert Chavez said around the time the store unveiled its new space.
Chavez has a longtime relationship with the center’s ownership company, C.J. Segerstrom & Sons of the local Segerstrom family, officials note.
Hermès is one of many high-end luxury brands to open a boutique in the mall upon the request of South Coast founder, Henry Segerstrom.
The expanded store opened its doors to the public on March 4, marking Hermès’ 25th year with South Coast Plaza.
South Coast Preview
Additional upcoming luxury brand openings in the center are set for throughout 2022, adding to its collection of high-end spots, some reportedly exclusive to OC.
The largest vacant space at the mall awaiting news of a new use is of the former Sears anchor store, which closed in 2019.
The Hermès refresh follows the opening of the recently relocated Tiffany & Co.’s Blue Box Café in October 2021, the jewelry boutique’s second café location in North America. Italian jeweler Buccellati also opened its newest West Coast boutique at South Coast this past January.
South Coast Plaza again last year ranked No. 1 on the Business Journal’s list of the largest malls in Orange County by reporting taxable sales of $1.6 billion for the year ended June 30.
With 287 stores and growing, the center sports about 2.8 million gross leasable square feet.Â
