Westminster Mall is planning to unwrap its big upscale makeover in time for Santa’s arrival for pictures on Nov. 15.
The mall has been promoting its construction to get people excited about the changes, said Mark Halbach, the mall’s manager. It is hoping to get retailers excited too.
Westminster Mall is negotiating leases with big-name national retailers, particularly those catering to women and teens. It’s also looking to bring in more eateries, a reason shoppers go to nearby Bella Terra in Huntington Beach.
Halbach also is recruiting boutiques and smaller chains.
“I’m certainly willing to entertain new concepts,” he said.
CutesyGirl, a Walnut-based young women’s boutique, is set to open at the mall later this year. Heavenly Couture, a Beverly Hills-based teen boutique, will also open in the fourth quarter. Heavenly Couture opened its first store in Laguna Beach in 2006 and has another OC store at The District in Tustin.
It’s getting harder to lure retailers to the mall, officials said, given the sorry state of the economy. The mall’s owner, Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group Inc., doesn’t disclose occupancy but the mall has at least a handful of spots open.
“Everyone is a little more sensitive and a little more cautious,” Halbach said.
That hasn’t stopped the mall’s owner from plugging ahead.
The renovation reportedly will cost about $10 million. Simon hasn’t disclosed costs.
During construction, all of the stores will remain open. Most of the work is being done in the evening.
The Santa Ana office of Bayley Construction, which is based outside Seattle, is doing the construction.
Some of the changes to the mall include automatic sliding door entryways. The flaking ceiling will be repainted and the fountain will be re-tiled. The mall will be lit with new overhead lighting. The handrails will be replaced atop glass panels. The lower floor will be re-carpeted.
Some of the changes that can’t be seen are the improvements the mall made, in coordination with Southern California Edison Co., to cut down on energy consumption. Those include waterless urinals and timed plant watering.
The mall also will have new kiosks, which sell toys, gadgets and other items.
The food court will be revamped. It will have new furniture and wireless access. Family restrooms and a nursing room also are being added. There’s also a kids area near J.C. Penney where parents can let restless children run around for a while.
“It extends the stay of the shoppers,” said Lindsay Hermance, director of marketing and business development for the mall.
Halbach says the mall is focusing on building community ties. The idea is to get the mall to be a family hangout.
“I wanted to make this mall the family choice,” Halbach said.
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Barbecues & More Web site: Barbeques Galore franchisor renamed store |
Fire’s Out
A local Barbeques Galore Inc. franchiser got caught up in the company’s August Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.
While the corporate office of Barbeques Galore is closing some stores, the Santa Ana franchise, run by retailer The Maister Group of Cos., is keeping the fire hot.
The franchise, which owns stores in Irvine, Costa Mesa and Laguna Niguel, changed the name of its stores to Barbecues & More to avoid confusion.
The company says it can lower its prices because it no longer has to pay franchise fees.
As for Barbecues Galore, it has a buyer and still is operating about 42 stores. Garland, Texas-based gas grill maker Grand Hall USA Inc. bought the business for $15 million.
Auto Registrations
Orange County auto dealers must be wiping the sweat off their brows after a brutal August.
Registrations fell a whopping 27% compared to August 2007, according to the Costa Mesa-based Orange County Automobile Dealers Association’s monthly report.
Traditionally, August is a bad month for sales,which are measured by registrations,because of vacations and back-to-school preparations. But a near 30% drop in registrations is steep.
Truck registrations were hardest hit, down 42%. Autos were down about 8%.
Ford, GMC and Chevy sales were down more than European, Japanese or South Korean brands. Ford registrations were down 35%, Chevrolet 51% and GMC 65%.
Dealers selling Volkswagen and Kia had better news to report. Volkswagen, up for several months, boosted registrations 29% to 321 autos. Kia also has been on the upswing, with registrations growing 143% to 107 autos. Both brands are known for their small models, which are attractive due to high gas prices.
Mini Cooper was up 47% to 132 autos; Subaru was up 66% to 113; Suzuki was up 18% to 32.
Jaguar got a big boost, up 116% to 54 autos.
On the luxury front, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are holding their own as the prestige brands, as they were only down slightly.
Mercedes-Benz was down 6% to 691 autos. And in a photo finish, BMW surpassed Mercedes in registrations, down 5% to 734.
Lexus was much worse off than Mercedes and BMW. It was down 34% to 624 autos.
