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"It's not about the products anymore, it's about the experiences." With vacated Macy's being filled by gyms and Legolands, and with food and beverage establishments taking up to 3Ū% of the GLA at many malls, that oft-heard prescription is coming true. in a search for innovators in experiential retail, Chain Store Age asked readers to nominate retail centers worthy of being named among the Top 10 Retail Center Experiences in the nation. The editors' picks:
1 WESTFIELD CENTURY CiTY
If you're going to spend a billion dollars to renovate an already successful center, you'd better have a lofty goal, and Westfield did. "We wanted Century City to be the home of retail in L.A.," Westfield executive VP of leasing David Ruddick said. Ensuring it would be a home worthy of the 21st century, Westfield engaged L.A.-based design guru Kelly Wearstler to metamorphose the space with walkways and gardens peppered with secluded lounges and cabanas, canopies of olive and palm trees, and alfresco dining promenades. Century City offers 50-plus food choices, including L.A.'s own Eataly location. "What we created was a modern retail resort," Ruddick said. In June, The Business of Fashion industry group held its West Coast summit inside Century City, branding it with the imprimatur of worldwide fashion destination in the process. Michael Kors, Jon Varvatos, and Gerard Darel are among the names added to the fashion lineup at the new Century City. Fitness and health figure much more prominently in the renovated center than before. Equinox is joined by boutique workouts like Gloveworx and augmented by Next Health's post-workout offerings of cryotherapy and biomarker testing. Century City guests also enjoy such amenities as rotating art installations and app-driven self-parking. "This is the future. These are the new platforms. If you don't honor them, you will have only short-term relevance," Ruddick said.
2 RIVER OAKS DISTRICT
Picture a condensed version of Manhattan's Fifth Avenue plopped in the middle of uptown Houston, but with concierge service "smart parking," personal shopping, and a stable of eateries ranging from white table cloth to fivenapkin burgers. That's River Oaks District, named the town's new "swanky lifestyle destination" by Houstonia magazine. "It's done a lot for the Houston retail scene," said OliverMcMillan marketing exec Stacie Ellis. "The Galleria's nearby,...