The Rich Get Richer: Tale of Major Malls : Retail industry: Many of the healthiest shopping centers experienced increases, while others registered declines.

Among Orange County shopping malls, the rich got richer and the poor got poorer last year.

That conclusion comes from a study of 1989 taxable sales at the county’s major shopping malls that was released Tuesday by the State Board of Equalization.

Brea Mall, MainPlace/Santa Ana and Newport Center Fashion Island all posted double-digit increases in taxable sales, moving them into second, third and fourth place, respectively, among county malls.

Sales at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, the county’s top-grossing mall, rose 7.7%.

Together, the four malls make up a retailing belt that runs down the middle of Orange County, from Newport Beach northward to Brea.

A number of malls reported lower sales. Westminster Mall registered a 6% sales decline, dropping it into fifth place among county malls last year, compared to third place in the state board’s 1988 report.

Among the malls showing the lowest taxable sales, the City Shopping Center in Orange registered flat growth, while sales at Anaheim Plaza dropped 8.2% and La Habra Fashion Square recorded a 7.4% decline.

Brea Mall reported the largest sales gain, up 19.1%. General Manager James Charter attributed the increase to an extensive renovation project and the opening of 40 new stores last April, including Nordstrom department store and Silverwoods clothing store.

“We had a nice new mall for everybody in 1989. We still were in construction on the other side (of the mall), and we kept the mall clean so everyone could enjoy it,” Charter said.

Brea Mall’s remodeling is continuing, and another 10 stores are due to open in 1991, including a Robinson’s department store in the spring.

Both MainPlace/Santa Ana and Newport Center Fashion Island posted 12% gains in taxable sales in 1989. The malls have also been undergoing extensive renovations and plan to open new wings this year.

South Coast Plaza last year embarked on a major move to bring in more upscale retailers, such as the Tiffany’s jewelry store that opened in 1989. This year, the mall has added Calvin Klein, Chanel and the first Sesame Street children’s store in the nation.

Jim Henwood, South Coast Plaza’s general manager, said sales are up nearly 8% this year despite overall sluggish conditions in the retail industry. ORANGE COUNTY MALL SALES

Taxable retail sales at Orange County malls increased $138 million, or 6.3%, in 1989 compared to the previous year. The largest percentage gains were reported by Brea Mall and Fashion Island/Newport Center. Sales figures are in millions of dollars

Mall 1988 1989 % Change South Coast Plaza $624 $672 7.7 Brea Mall 188 224 19.1 MainPlace/Santa Ana 181 203 12.1 Fashion Island/Newport Ctr. 173 194 12.1 Westminster Mall 182 171 -6.0 Huntington Center 150 156 4.0 Laguna Hills Mall 136 145 6.6 Mission Viejo Mall 134 144 7.5 Buena Park Mall 133 131 -1.5 Mall of Orange 120 126 5.0 The City Shopping Center 78 78 -- Anaheim Plaza 61 56 -8.2 La Habra Fashion Square 27 25 -7.4 Total 2,187 2,325 6.3

Source: State Board of Equalization