Christmas is coming, and the retailers just...

Christmas is coming, and the retailers just keep adding up.

Just in time for holiday madness, Orange County’s two megamalls--South Coast Plaza and Newport Center/Fashion Island--are busily adding new stores to cash in.

Eight shops are opening their doors at South Coast Plaza before December. Keeping true to the mall’s image, four are described by the center’s marketing director as high-priced and five, including two of the top-end stores, make South Coast their only Southern California location.

South Coast’s pricey roster of new retailers includes the Disney Store, which is the only one of the eight not described as either pricey or exclusive to the mall. The others are Cashmeres of Scotland; Lindsay, a florist; Michael Kromer, luxury leather; Alex Sport, men’s casual apparel; the Nelson Rockefeller Collection, an art and collectibles shop; and Bruno Magli and Joan & David, a pair of high-end women’s shoe stores.

Meanwhile, arch-competitor Fashion Island in Newport Beach last month brought in some Southern California firsts of its own. There’s Periscope, a dressy women’s apparel store; Moda Georgio, a custom-shirt specialist; and Sisley, with men’s and women’s clothing from the Benetton line of designer knitwear.

Bag-toting buyers at the Newport Beach center can also flock to Kiere, a young girls’ store and William Kasper, a cashmere store scheduled to open by mid-November.

Why the retail rush? “The fourth quarter and just before the holidays is when owners can count on the greatest amount of exposure,” said Kathleen Flood, Fashion Island’s spokeswoman.