County Malls Wage a War of Class : South Coast Plaza Set for Major Expansion

South Coast Plaza, recently bumped to second place in sales among area shopping malls, Monday will announce the long-awaited details of its massive expansion plan. An ongoing, $150-million-plus addition will virtually double the size and reshape the face of one of the nation’s most successful shopping centers.

The object of the plan is to add nearly 1 million square feet of retail space, including a 60-store annex across the street from the center anchored by Robinson’s and The Broadway department stores. Meanwhile, within sight of its current location, Nordstrom Inc. is building a huge new store at the north end of the center. A six-story parking garage is going up at the center’s north end, facing Sunflower Avenue in Costa Mesa.

Although completion of the South Coast project is estimated to be 18 months away, officials from C. J. Segerstrom & Sons, the mall’s developers, are anxious to stop the increasing flow of business to competitors, both inside

and outside the county. The 18-year-old shopping mall’s sales exceeded $400 million in 1984, according to a Plaza spokesman. And for nearly two decades, South Coast Plaza has been ranked as retail sales leader in Southern California.

Del Amo Fashion Center, in Torrance, surpassed South Coast Plaza in gross sales during the second quarter of 1984. Del Amo posted $84.3 million in sales, compared with South Coast Plaza’s $83.9 million, according to state Board of Equalization figures.

South Coast Plaza also has its eye on the flurry of multimillion-dollar expansion plans recently announced for a number of malls in the area. Fashion Island, in Newport Beach, is in the midst of a $60-million renovation, and costly expansions also are under way at the Orange Mall, The City Shopping Center in Orange, and Fashion Square in Santa Ana.

Appeal to the Affluent

Construction is just part of the plans for South Coast Plaza. Perhaps more important is a rebuilding of the mall’s reputation.

For nearly a decade, South Coast Plaza has struggled successfully to upgrade its image. More conventional tenants have been replaced by shops that appeal to the area’s affluent shoppers. The center’s newest store, for example, is the Polo Ralph Lauren Shop, which features designer clothing and home furnishings.

On Monday, mall officials are also expected to name a tenant to replace Joseph Magnin, a women’s clothing store that has been empty since September, when the chain closed all its stores and filed for bankruptcy.

Plaza officials are also expected to announce plans for a transportation system--buses or trolleys--to shuttle shoppers between the two centers, which are separated by Bear Street. South Coast Plaza already operates minibuses between the Plaza, South Coast Village and a dozen Orange County hotels.

Big, New Stores

But the centerpiece of the upgrading appears to be department stores. Nordstrom will virtually double its size with the opening of its new, $27-million, 225,000-square-foot store. Robinson’s plans a 215,000-square-foot store that will be one of the biggest in the chain, and the new Broadway will exceed 200,000 square feet.

South Coast Plaza officials have refused to divulge design details of project before Monday, but retailors say they expect a design with much more flair than that of the current center. Said one competitor, “If they don’t make it better, they shouldn’t make it at all.”

Another competitor, Fashion Island, sees an improved South Coast Plaza as helping all local retailers, by attracting more business to the area. Kathleen Lauren, Fashion Island’s marketing director said, “It will make better retailers out of all of us.”