The 29 biggest shopping malls in Orange County reported a cumulative 0.81% decline in sales to $9.3 billion.
It’s unclear yet how much these centers are being affected by online sales; six of the 20 malls that reported data showed a drop for the year ended June 30, 2024.
Leading the decline was Brea Mall, which has nearly 1.3 million square feet of leasable space. It fell 21% to $541 million, and its ranking dropped to No. 6 from No. 3.
Other notable drops include 16% to $120 million at Westminster Mall in Westminster and 10% to $347 million at The Shops at Mission Viejo in Mission Viejo.
Mission Viejo Freeway Center, home to traditional brick-and-mortar tenants such as Best Buy and Michaels, reported a 27% drop to $56.6 million in taxable sales and isn’t on this year’s list.
The Village at Orange Mall, meanwhile, announced in January it was permanently closing its doors. The owner, TRC Retail, reportedly has plans to demolish the aging indoor mall once anchored by Sears.
“The retail industry has evolved, customer shopping preferences have changed, and large regional malls like the Village at Orange are no longer viable,” operators of the retail center said in a statement.
SCP Stays on Top with Appeal to Wealthy
South Coast Plaza reported $2.5 billion in taxable sales for the year ended June 30, making it by far the biggest shopping center in Orange County.
The plaza is targeting the richest shoppers by adding 40 new high-end stores this year alone (see story, page 1).
No. 2 Fashion Island is leaning into its reputation as a lifestyle destination with a series of new luxury openings, including Arhaus, Veronica Beard, and Good American. Set to open soon is a four-story Restoration Hardware flagship featuring a rooftop restaurant with panoramic ocean views which promises to be a major draw for the Newport Beach shopping center (see story, page 27).
The District at Tustin Legacy climbed from No. 5 to No. 4 by growing 1.4% to $636.5 million in sales.
No. 5 Irvine Spectrum Center rose 3.4% to $621.6 million. Recent additions include OC-firsts like Shake Shack, Sweetgreen, and entertainment venues from Funlab, such as Hijinx Hotel and Holey Moley, an experiential complex with mini-golf, karaoke, and immersive challenge rooms.
OluKai, the Irvine-based footwear maker and lifestyle brand, opened its first retail store on the U.S. mainland at the Irvine Spectrum earlier this year. Its boots, golf shoes, sandals and other products were sold in Hawaii and specialty retailers such as Nordstrom, REI and Tommy Bahama.
The Irvine Co.-owned Irvine Spectrum Center also saw a niche concept close this year. Bristol Farms Newfound Market, the large-scale grocery store that included a food hall and was part of the center’s expansion plans in 2019, shut down earlier this year after a nearly two-year run.
Downtown Disney Going Uptown
The biggest gainer was Downtown Disney District, which reported a 28% increase to $430 million.
The Disneyland Resort has undergone an eight-year effort to transform its 20-acre Downtown Disney District. It opened three upscale Mexican restaurants in the spring, with menus curated by Chef Carlos Gaytán. Gaytán is the first Mexican chef to earn a Michelin star.
The Disneyland Resort is overhauling its shopping district to include more relevant and elevated offerings to attract more upscale crowds. That means changing up its roster of more than 40 merchants, a project Disney has been accelerating since 2018.
The 246,702-square-foot Downtown Disney District also added Taiwanese restaurant concept Din Tai Fung and Porto’s, the chain of bakeries founded by Cuban American baker Rosa Porto.
Downtown Disney has the distinction of the highest sales volume per square foot – $1,558. It’s followed by the Costco Center in San Juan Capistrano, at $1,361, and Lido Marina Village, $1,049. The lowest gross was Westminster Mall, $107 per square foot, followed by Buena Park Downtown, $138, and Bella Terra, $154.
The average sale per square foot was $545.
Orange County’s 29 biggest malls have a collected 20.1 million gross leasable square feet.
The biggest shopping center by store count is South Coast Plaza, with 287, followed by MainPlace Mall, with 220 stores, and both the Irvine Spectrum Center and the Brea Mall with 170.
