Shoppingtown Bows in Woodland Hills

A year after commencement of the project, Westfield Shoppingtown Promenade in Woodland Hills, Calif., is wrapping up its $35 million redevelopment with a grand opening Nov. 30.

Anchored by Macy’s and a 16-screen AMC Theatre, the 600,000-square-foot center has added about a dozen restaurants and entertainment-oriented tenants in an effort to transform itself into a lifestyle destination in the western San Fernando Valley.

The center will complement its sister mall, Westfield Shoppingtown Topanga, located about half a mile north on Topanga Boulevard in Canoga Park, which features more apparel-oriented stores, including Robinsons-May, Sears, Nordstrom and specialty retailers Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, Bebe, Banana Republic and Guess, said Kathy Klingele, the senior director of marketing for both malls.

“These centers won’t compete. The same shopper will go to both for different purposes,” Klingele said. “They’ll come to Topanga for the traditional mall experience and they’ll go to the Promenade to visit the specialty stores and hang out a while.”

Plans called for remodeling the interior of the two-story Promenade, whose existing stores include Coach, Laura Ashley and Restoration Hardware, with the installation of marble flooring, escalators, elevators and a children’s play area. The mall added Barnes & Noble, Chick’s Sporting Goods, Total Woman Gym & Day Spa, Corner Bakery, Maggiano’s Little Italy, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Ruby’s Diner and Wolfgang Puck Cafeacute; to the retail lineup, giving the venues twin entrances—one located inside the center and another located outside it—for shopper convenience.

Key to the center’s new look is a palm tree–lined parking driveway off Erwin Street to allow for easier access. A grand staircase canopied by angled light poles leads to the mall’s new olive green, blue and yellow entrance.

In spite of the tough retail climate, Klingele said the two malls haven’t experienced substantial drop-off in the past couple of months. She hopes to keep the centers humming with cross-promotional activities and co-branded advertising, which will give a boost to the Promenade’s weaker current sales of $312 per square foot.

“Recent events have helped us, as more families are coming to the malls and packing the movie theaters,” Klingele said.

Some new tenants, including Covina, Calif.-based Chick’s Sporting Goods, expressed some apprehension about the timing of the Promenade’s opening but remain buoyed about the prospect of a new market and opportunities.

“It’s a good area for us to move into, with lots of families—that’s our core customer,” said Lisa Uttz, Chick’s advertising and marketing director. “We do fabulous with teens, skate, leagues, soccer—that’s a year-round business for us.”

The 50,000-square-foot Chick’s store, the ninth in the family-owned chain, will carry men’s and women’s apparel for most sports, including brands Tommy Bahama, Roxy, Quiksilver, Hurley, O’Neill, Billabong, Ashworth, Nike and Adidas. The clothes, along with the rackets, snowboards, surfboards, skis, golf clubs, basketballs, footballs and other hard goods, will be arranged by department.

Jackie Fernandez, a partner in the consumer practice at Deloitte & Touche LLP, said the rapid expansion in the western San Fernando Valley dovetails with the mall’s opening. The Promenade serves a densely populated market of nearly 870,000 people with an average household income of $86,600.

“It’s an underserved area, and new retail ventures will benefit from the area’s strong demographics,” Fernandez said.