O.C. Malls Increase ’90 Sales 3.4% Over the Previous Year

Despite the onset of the recession, Orange County’s malls showed a slight increase in sales last year as the strong continued to prosper and the weakest faltered, new state figures show.

Overall, nearly $2.4 billion worth of taxable goods were sold at Orange County malls in 1990, up 3.4% from $2.3 billion in 1989.

Last year’s sales increase was modest compared to the buoyant sales gains that county malls have enjoyed in some years past. The recession, which took hold after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August, 1989, hurt sales in late 1990.

And the lingering recession has continued to affect retail sales this year. A recent UC Irvine poll found that Orange County residents have become nearly as pessimistic about the economy as consumers in the nation as a whole, and that 45% believe that the national economy will get worse.

The county’s three largest malls, based on sales--South Coast Plaza, Brea Mall and Newport Center Fashion Island--registered a collective sales gain of 6.4% last year, according to the State Franchise Tax Board.

The three poorest performers--the Mall of Orange, The City Shopping Center and Anaheim Plaza--together registered a loss of 3.6%.

“The rich keep getting richer, and the reason is that the media continue to talk about them,” said Kathleen O’Connor, a New York-based retail consultant.

She added, however, that it takes more than a buzz of publicity to create a successful mall. Those malls that are sparkling clean with attractive storefronts and eye-catching window displays are the ones most likely to enjoy brisk sales, she said.

Newport Center Island Fashion posted the biggest sales increase in 1990. Sales were up 13.5% to $220 million.

Janice Fusch, Fashion Island’s group manager of sales and marketing, credits the increase to the completion of a major renovation project at the mall and the reopening of shops in the Atrium Court area.

MainPlace/Santa Ana slipped to fourth place in 1990 with $215 million in sales, a gain of 5.9% from the previous year.

Sales at Brea Mall, the county’s No. 2 mall, were up a healthy 10.8% to $248 million. But South Coast Plaza and its companion center, Crystal Court, posted a 3% sales increase, to $692 million.

Still, South Coast Plaza remained such a powerful retailing force in the county that it accounted for nearly 30% of all taxable sales at malls in Orange County. It is also Southern California’s busiest shopping venue, surpassing by more than $250 million in sales its nearest competitor, Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance. South Coast Plaza had 242 stores in 1990, compared to 293 at Del Amo.

In contrast, beleaguered Anaheim Plaza lost 10% of its taxable sales in 1990, finishing with $50.5 million. It also lost 30% of its retailers, finishing the year with 44 shops.

But as this year’s crucial holiday season approaches, Anaheim Plaza is hoping for some good news. Bullock’s department store is opening a temporary clearance center at a former Robinson’s store. Though the store will only be open for five weeks beginning Friday, mall officials hope that it will generate more customer traffic that will spill over to surrounding merchants.

“We’re hoping that will change things,” said Arlene Eisenstat, a spokeswoman for the mall’s managers.

Orange County Mall Sales

Taxable retail sales at the 12 Orange County malls increased $79 million, or 3.4%, in 1990 compared to the previous year. Fashion Island in Newport Beach showed the biggest percentage sales gain, while Anaheim Plaza showed the biggest percentage loss.

Sales figures are in millions of dollars.

% Mall 1989 1990 Change South Coast Plaza $672 $692 3.0 Brea Mall 224 248 10.9 Fashion Island Newport Center 194 220 13.5 MainPlace/Santa Ana 203 215 5.9 Westminster Mall 171 186 8.6 Huntington Center Mall 156 158 1.4 Laguna Hills Mall 145 150 5.3 Mission Viejo Mall 144 148 2.8 Buena Park Mall 131 131 0.2 Mall of Orange 126 123 -4.7 The City 78 78 0.8 Anaheim Plaza 56 51 -10.1 TOTAL 2,320 2,400 3.4

Source: State Board of Equalization