South Coast Plaza—Orange County’s largest shopping center with $2.5 billion in taxable sales for the year ending June 2023—has 30 new boutiques in the development pipeline this year.
The new stores at South Coast Plaza will be a mix of first-time brands opening shops at the center, and longtime tenants renovating, expanding or relocating their existing spaces.
The Costa Mesa mall ended last year with around 30 openings and updated stores, including debuts from European perfumery Byredo and diamond jeweler Graff, and a change in location from Van Cleef & Arpels.
In the next few weeks, the former Antonello Espresso Café adjacent to the newly moved Giorgio Armani boutique will be renovated to a new concept called Armani/Caffè, with an updated design, menu and furnishings led by the luxury retailer.
Several stores are set for spring, with Cartier and Bulgari reopening in the Jewel Court section of the shopping center in April.
South Coast Plaza considers the brands’ choice to redesign and expand their existing spaces as an “amplification” of its collection of 35 luxury timepiece and jewelry boutiques.
South Coast Plaza, which has about 2.8 million square feet of leasable space, holds more than 280 stores in total.
Gucci Expands
One of the largest relocations and expansions will be Gucci’s new 19,000-square-foot, two-level flagship store between the Carousel Court and Jewel Court.
It will be the second two-story boutique to open at South Coast, following Balenciaga’s new flagship from late last year. It is scheduled to open in April.
Street brand Palm Angels added a retail store to the Din Tai Fung wing this month. Dior will be opening an all-new men’s store next to its South Coast flagship later this year.
Other companies finishing up their renovations to their current locations at the mall include Chloé and Baccarat.
New arrivals at the shopping center later this year will be Alaia, Amiri, Mejuri and Santa Maria Novella. Retailers with existing shops at South Coast, Eileen Fisher, Wolford and Zegna, are set to open new spaces in 2024.
Luxury brand Courrèges, which initially debuted at South Coast Plaza in the 1970s, will return with a new boutique this year.
More additions to its collection are expected to be announced later this year.
