ICSC Names Best Shopping Centers

Westfield’s San Francisco Centre shopping center was named as one of nine finalists vying for the title of “World’s Best Shopping Center” as part of the International Council of Shopping Centers Inc.’s (ICSC) inaugural “Best of the Best” awards, slated for May 17 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, kicking off the annual ReCon real estate convention.

The centers were chosen for their development and design attributes as well as their sustainability agendas.

Westfield USA’s San Francisco Centre, developed in partnership with Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises, took a defunct Emporium department store along with existing anchors and built the Bay Area’s largest and most visited centers, reviving the city’s retail scene in the process. San Francisco Centre is anchored by a new Bloomingdale’s flagship as well as Macy’s, Nordstrom and 172 new stores, many new to the U.S. market.

Two other U.S. centers were named as finalists: Waikiki Beach Walk in Honolulu and Branson Landing in Branson, Mo.

Among the international finalists are Atrio in Villach, Austria; Entre Deux in Maastricht, Netherlands; Galerija Centrs in Riga, Latvia; Manufaktura in Lodz, Poland; Stary Browar in Poznan, Poland; and Zlote Tarasy in Warsaw, Poland.

Many of the centers were part of redevelopment projects. Stary Browar in Poland was a former brewery. The Entre Deux center in the Netherlands took an area of Maastricht that was considered an eyesore and brought in modern architecture and fast-fashion retailers H&M, Zara and Mango. The Manufaktura shopping center was built over a shuttered textile mill.

The May 17 event will feature comedian Frank Caliendo, known for his impressions of politicians and celebrities. Proceeds will benefit the ICSC Foundation, which grants educational scholarships and supports charitable initiatives in the communities the retail real estate industry and its projects serve.

For more information, visit www.icsc.org. —Robert McAllister