Ontario Mills Beefs Up Fashion Quotient

Ontario Mills, the 1.7-million-square-foot shopping center in Ontario, Calif., located about 40 miles east of Los Angeles, is raising its fashion bar with the addition of new clothing retailers.

Nordstrom Rack, Geoffrey Beene, Haggar, d.e.m.o., Frederick’s of Hollywood, Sak Elliott and the Children’s Place are seven new retailers opening this month and through the summer at the shopping and entertainment destination operated by the Mills Corp. They join stores Forever 21, Limited Too, Izod and Motherhood Maternity, which bowed earlier this year.

“One of our priorities has been to upgrade the fashion statement here,” said Jim Mance, Mills vice president and general manager of the center.

Mance said the store mix partially arose from exit interviews conducted by the mall’s marketing team.

“We prioritize those suggestions and try to fit them in where we can,” he said.

The arrival of the new stores also stems from the expiration of lease agreements by stores that signed on when the mall opened in November 1996. There were 80 leases and a handful didn’t renew, according to Mance.

The center, home to a 30-screen AMC Theatres complex, JCPenney Outlet Store, Burlington Coat Factory, T.J. Maxx, Gap Outlet and Ann Taylor Loft, is comprised of mostly value-oriented stores, Mance said. He said Ontario Mills has had a strong year so far, with sales up 7 percent year-to-date.

He added that the mall generates “in excess of” $400 per square foot in yearly sales.

Real estate experts say existing shopping centers have to gear up for competition in the Inland Empire. Costco and Kohl’s are moving in near Ontario Mills. About 15 miles east in Redlands, Majestic Realty Co. is building a 560,000-square-foot retail mall called Citrus Plaza, which will be home to Target and Kohl’s.

“The fact that there’s development in these areas means malls are staying on their toes,” said Tom Swieca, first vice president of brokerage CB Richard Ellis in Ontario.

Nordstrom Rack said the area’s growth has prompted the opening of two stores on May 23—its Ontario Mills unit and one at the Chino Spectrum Towne Center, the latter actually representing a relocation of its nearby Chino store.

“It’s a growth area and both Ontario and Chino provide an opportunity to better serve the needs of the growing base of customers in the area,” said Tracy Overby, spokesperson for Nordstrom Rack. —Nola Sarkisian-Miller