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Community Corner

Del Amo Fashion Center Unveils New Store Lineup and Announces Consolidation of Macy's Stores

Del Amo Fashion Center is getting ready to welcome an impressive new group of retailers as part of the ongoing transformation of South Bay’s premier retail destination. Many of the brands will debut their latest ‘concept stores’ to coincide with their Del Amo opening.

Simon, a leading global retail real estate company and an owner of Del Amo, also announced that Macy’s will consolidate its three current locations at Del Amo Fashion Center into two stores to make for a more convenient trip for Macy’s loyal shoppers.

Peter Sachse, Macy’s Chief Stores Officer said, “Macy’s supports Simon’s plan to redevelop and upgrade Del Amo Fashion Center, which we believe will further improve the shopping experience for our customers in an outstanding and successful mall. As part of the redevelopment, Macy’s has the opportunity to consolidate its three stores in the mall into two locations – the current Macy’s four-story “Main Store” at the north end of the mall, and the current three-story full-line department store. We foresee very little disruption to our business.”

Simon’s discussions with a new anchor to locate in the space Macy’s is vacating are progressing and an announcement is expected in the near future.

South Bay residents and visitors will soon be able to enjoy these retail destinations as part of their Del Amo shopping experience: Finish Line by Nike (including a Nike Track Club), Hollister Co., Pandora, Purity Cosmetics, Quiksilver, Skechers, The Disney Store, and Vans. Some of these top names are new to the center while others are relocating into improved spaces, in the first phase of Simon’s thorough redevelopment of this iconic grand mall of the South Bay.

“We’re excited to welcome this exciting collection of retailers to Del Amo Fashion Center this summer as we work toward improving the shopping experience at the center with our updated look and feel,” said Lindsay Hermance, director of marketing and business development at Del Amo Fashion Center.

Simon now turns its full attention to the replacement of much of the old mall north of Carson Street. Nearly 200,000 square feet of 1960’s-era vintage mall space is now gone (with most materials fully recycled) and work is nearly complete to turn over the store site area for the South Bay’s newest Nordstrom store. Foundation work for that store – and some 400,000 square feet of brand new, state-of-the-art retail space – should commence within the next 60 to 90 days in anticipation of the grand opening of Phase II which is expected to be in October 2015. Construction of a nearly 2,000-car parking deck has begun along Fashion Way, between the Marriott Hotel and Del Amo’s newer Outdoor Village.

“Most of our loyal customers’ favorite retailers who used to have stores in the section that is now gone have been relocated elsewhere in the center,” said Hermance. “We’ve placed construction-period directories throughout the center to provide shoppers with the new temporary locations.” Hermance added that nearly all of these stores will be back in new full-line stores as part of the Phase II mall that is under construction.

The nearly complete comprehensive transformation of Del Amo Fashion Center includes the recently completed garden-like Patio Cafes dining pavilion, which has opened to rave reviews. Pasadena-based Blaze Pizza is already open. Blaze Pizza uses an interactive ordering format that allows guests to create their own custom artisanal pizzas at lightning fast speed – each for around $8.00. The generously sized personal pizzas are then sent to a blazing hot open-flame oven – the centerpiece of the restaurant – where dedicated pizzasmiths ensure that the thin-crust pies are “fast-fire’d” in less than 180 seconds. Blaze Pizza’s opening at Patio Cafes marks the eatery’s first dining terrace experience in the U.S.

Later this fall, Sumo Salad will open its first-ever U.S. location at Del Amo Fashion Center, offering shoppers a healthy dining option while on the go. The Australian-based eatery will serve fresh “design your own” gourmet salads that are made to order, using fresh, nutritious ingredients; including serving only free-range chicken with no added hormones and no GMO (genetically modified organisms). They will also offer delicious wraps, rolls, toasted sandwiches, pasta, soup, fruit salad, yogurt, coffee and more.

First in the series of new retailers to join the center is Purity Cosmetics, a prestige cosmetic company utilizing pigments from fruits and vegetables along with nature's best resources. New to the South Bay, Purity Cosmetics is slated to open a 551 square-foot space near Macy’s Court (north store) this week.

Specializing in athletic shoes, apparel and accessories, The Finish Line by Nike including a Nike Track Club has opened a 8,700 square-foot store near the new Patio Cafes. The Finish Line employs more than 14,000 “sneakerologists” who help customers every day connect with their sport, their life and their style.

Also set to call Del Amo Fashion Center home is Pandora, which will carry hand-finished and modern jewelry made from genuine materials at affordable prices in its 1,000 square-foot store. Pandora is scheduled to open in July.

New to the South Bay, Quiksilver will open later this month, a 5,800-square-foot store at Del Amo Fashion Center. The store will house a Roxy pop-up shop inside, and will pay homage to Quiksilver’s authentic roots and heritage in surf, snow and skate.

In addition to the new stores, a number of retailers have been relocating from the north end of the center to new permanent spaces, as Del Amo Fashion Center makes room for the construction of a new two-level mall.

Skechers, the worldwide shoe company headquartered in Southern California’s own Manhattan Beach, opened a 4,300-square-foot new prototype store on April 24 near the new Patio Cafes dining experience. Skechers offers a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear for men, women and children.

Hollister Co., a division of Abercrombie & Fitch Co., also recently relocated and opened a new prototype store in Juniors Court on May 1. Opening earlier this year in the Juniors Court were Aeropostale, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Gymobree, and Zumiez.

Vans, the original action sports footwear and apparel brand, has relocated to its new and improved 3,100-square-foot space in the Juniors Court near the Patio Cafes.

Also later this month, The Disney Store, will return to Del Amo Fashion Center with some Disney magic in a 4,800-square-foot space near Macy’s Court (north store). Soon after will be the re-opening of Starbucks, the world-renowned roaster and retailer of high-quality Arabica coffee, in a kiosk near The Disney Store.

For ongoing updates and to learn more about the transformation of South Bay's retail destination follow Del Amo Fashion Center on Facebook at facebook.com/DelAmoFashionCenter, Twitter at twitter.com/delamofashion or Instagram at instagram.com/delamofashion. Check out a 3D architect rendering animation at youtube.com/watch?v=4jO0g8d8Kcs for a bird’s eye perspective on the future Del Amo Fashion Center once this transformational, property wide renovation is complete.

About Del Amo Fashion Center
Del Amo Fashion Center, a joint venture of institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management and Simon, is the South Bay's retail destination for shopping, entertainment and dining. Del Amo Fashion Center boasts more than 200 stores, including Macy’s, H&M, Anthropologie, Barnes & Noble, Coach, and more. Visit the outdoor promenade and enjoy dinner at Stacked or PF Changs before a movie at our 18 screen AMC Theater. The indoor mall offers fashion for women, men and children plus jewelry, footwear and electronics. Del Amo Fashion Center serves the nearby communities of Palos Verdes, Lomita, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Redondo Beach and Gardena. For a map and store listings, as well as directions, events and job listings, visit http://www.simon.com/mall/del-amo-fashion-center or call 310-542-8525.

About Simon
Simon is a global leader in retail real estate ownership, management and development and a S&P100 company (Simon Property Group, NYSE:SPG). Our industry-leading retail properties and investments across North America, Europe and Asia provide shopping experiences for millions of consumers every day and generate billions in annual retail sales. For more information, visit simon.com.

About J.P. Morgan Asset Management - Global Real Assets
J.P. Morgan Asset Management – Global Real Assets has more than $73 billion in assets under management and more than 400 professionals in the U.S., Europe and Asia, as of March 31, 2014. With a 40-plus-year history of successful investing, J.P. Morgan Asset Management – Global Real Assets’ broad capabilities provide many of the world’s most sophisticated investors with a global platform of real estate, infrastructure, maritime/transport and energy strategies driven by local investment talent with disciplined investment processes consistently implemented across asset types and regions.

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