Westfield Topanga Expansion Opens October 6

Photo credit: Tom Mendoza, Los Angeles Daily News

Despite unprecedented consolidation in the department store industry, the rise of big-box stores, and the popularity of outdoor "lifestyle centers," the future of the enclosed super-regional mall remains bright. As consumer preferences and the American retailing business have evolved, so has the building type that Victor Gruen pioneered with Southdale in 1956. Case in point: the "new and improved" Westfield Topanga in the San Fernando Valley.

A "sneak preview" of the 1.6 million square foot mega-mall was enthusiastically presented on the front page of today's edition of the Valley-based Los Angeles Daily News. Read the article here.

Image credit: Los Angeles Daily News

The $500 million redevelopment effort is the largest ever undertaken by international shopping mall magnate Westfield Group. The mall will nearly double in size, adding two department stores, a "white napkin" food court with plates and silverware, a double-decker carousel, and "The Canyon," a remarkable arched concourse that will serve as its centerpiece. Two new parking garages are already in use, and a third will open with the expansion this fall. With 60 new stores that are unique to the Valley, Westfield Topanga has been heralded as a long-awaited alternative to traveling "over the hill" for the finest in retail.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of the expansion is that it includes a massive new Target store, which will join existing anchors Nordstrom, Robinsons-May (soon to be Macy's), and Sears. When Neiman Marcus opens at the location of the current Nordstrom building in 2008, the mall will have the most unique collection of anchor stores in the United States. A decade ago, placing a big-box store like Target in an enclosed super-regional mall was contrary to conventional wisdom, and the idea that it would be compatible with luxury retailers like Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus was laughable. Westfield Topanga charts a bold new direction for conventional malls in a fashion and value conscious retail environment with far fewer department store operators.

Though the bulk of the repositioning of Westfield Topanga will soon be complete, the Australian-based mall operator isn't through investing in the Southern California marketplace, where it manages more than a dozen centers. Although it recently completed expansions at Westfield Santa Anita in Arcadia and at Westfield Century City on L.A.'s Westside, it's looking to expand them further. Redevelopment plans are also being made for Westfield Fox Hills in Culver City, Westfield MainPlace in Santa Ana, and several properties in greater San Diego. Folks throughout the region can expect more innovative efforts in the vein of the "new" Westfield Topanga, ensuring that super-regional malls will remain competitive and compelling for decades to come.

History of Westfield Topanga

Image credit: Malls of America

Originally known as Topanga Plaza, the mall is actually one of the region's oldest, opening in 1964 as the first enclosed mall in Southern California. It was oriented towards the middle-class families that had moved to the San Fernando Valley in droves after World War II, with solid middle-market anchors May Company, Montgomery Ward, and The Broadway. It was able to co-exist with Fallbrook Center, an outdoor mall anchored by JCPenney and Sears that was located about a mile west.

In 1973, a third mall, the enclosed Promenade at Woodland Hills, opened a block south on Topanga Canyon Boulevard as an "upscale" alternative with fashionable anchors Bullock's Wilshire, Robinson's, and Saks Fifth Avenue. The land around the two shopping complexes transformed into Warner Center, an "edge city" with office towers, multi-family housing, hotels, and restaurants that became the hub of the western San Fernando Valley. Despite more competition, Topanga Plaza continued to thrive, adding a new Nordstrom and a food court in 1983.

As the 1990's progressed, Topanga Plaza became the dominant mall in the market. Saks Fifth Avenue shut its doors at the Promenade at Woodland Hills, and the Robinson's branch closed after the chain was consolidated with May Company. While the Robinson's building was occupied by a second Bullock's and the Saks store was replaced by a 16-screen AMC Theatres multiplex, the ritzy mall had lost much of its luster, losing many key tenants to the newly renovated Topanga Plaza. In 1996 The Broadway at Topanga Plaza closed, its building sold to Sears, whose move sounded the death knell for the long-suffering (then enclosed) Fallbrook Center, which has since been redeveloped into a big-box "power center." The loss of Montgomery Ward when the chain liquidated in 2001 didn't hurt the mall and provided space for a portion of the new addition.

Westfield acquired both Topanga Plaza and the Promenade at Woodland Hills in the late 1990's and has oriented the smaller Promenade towards dining and entertainment while remaking Topanga into an even more dominant center appealing to a wide range of customers. Westfield also owns the largely vacant land between the two malls; company officials have stated they intend to somehow connect them someday, which portends even more expansion of the retail mecca.

Although Federated Department Stores announced it would close one of the two Macy's (former Bullock's) stores at Westfield Promenade after its merger with May Department Stores, the operator of Robinsons-May, it now plans to keep both stores open for the time being as well as convert Westfield Topanga's Robinsons-May into yet another Macy's branch. With its abundance of real estate, I think that Federated may end up converting one of the three stores to its upscale Bloomingdale's banner. The most likely candidate is the unit at Westfield Topanga, as it would compliment Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.

After 42 years of successful operation, Westfield Topanga will continue to be at the forefront of retailing in Southern California and will likely become one of the most popular and profitable enclosed super-regional malls in the United States.