California Apparel News

On Nov. 9, the curtain rises on TrizecHahn Corp.’s Hollywood & Highland project—a $615 million retail and entertainment complex viewed for the past five years as the linchpin to the renaissance of Hollywood.

A fusion of fashion, retail and entertainment, the 645,000-square-foot complex will offer about 70 retailers, including the Gap, Banana Republic, Bebe, Benetton, Planet Funk, the DFS Galleria and Tommy Hilfiger, and more than two dozen restaurants and quick-service eateries. Key to the center’s success will be the 4,000-seat Kodak Theatre, the new home for the Academy Awards, as well as a 640-room hotel, a six-screen, 1,600-seat movie theater, and a 40,000-square-foot ballroom catered by Wolfgang Puck.

Also sharing the stage is Russ Joyner, the center’s vice president and general manager. The executive brings another dimension of expertise to his position. Following his graduation from Boston College in 1983, Joyner enjoyed the spotlight of a two-year career with the National Football League as a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts.

He eventually entered the profession of retail and property management, starting out as the assistant general manager of the Village at Corte Madera in Corte Madera, Calif. From there, he oversaw a string of properties, including Fox Hills Mall in Culver City, Calif.

This time around, however, Joyner realizes he won’t always have a playbook to rely on for direction.

“This project is built in an urban, revived area. We’re pioneers,” said the New York native.

Along with his staff of 20 employees, Joyner’s job is to oversee day-to-day operations of the center, which he said is 90 percent leased. He also will interface with all the retailers—about 50 of whom will open initially—and tenants, including the theaters, the hotel and ballroom.

He recently spoke with California Apparel News retail editor Nola Sarkisian-Miller about the challenges and opportunities involved at Hollywood & Highland.

How will this center differ from other shopping complexes?

Our retail mix is geared to a dual audience—both the local and drive markets as well as the tourist market. We’re looking at a 50/50 split. Hollywood has high traffic levels during the tourist season with Mann’s Chinese Theater. We’re creating goods and services that both tourists and locals can enjoy and need. Hollywood didn’t have a retail presence before. Our combination of dining, retail and entertainment will have staying power. Unlike typical centers, we have no department stores as anchors. It was a conscious effort on our part to broaden the focus of the center.

As general manager, what is your goal for the center?

To work towards maximizing value for the project. We’re creating protocol and procedure. There’s a big learning curve to be achieved. With that, our goal is to stay focused on the center’s success.

The center is opening as Los Angeles copes with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and a shaky economy. How will the center be impacted? Will the center’s marketing efforts change?

I’d be naive to say we’re exempt from concerns. They’re in our thoughts and radar. At the same time, we think there’s an upside to achieve from the promise of something new and exciting. Paseo Colorado [TrizecHahn’s new retail development in Pasadena, Calif.] is proving that the general public is intrigued by the new and is coming out to shop. We’ll be incentivizing shoppers with dollar-day programs and partnerships with mass transit. We’re really putting a priority on the drive market.

Shoppers are feeling insecure in this time of crisis. What measures are you taking to instill safety?

Since September, we’ve enhanced our program to be nimble. The center will have a mix of uniformed and plainclothes security personnel. There also will be more than 100 cameras around the project.

Why did you leave football?

I stayed long enough to say I did it and short enough not to limp when it rains. I knew full well that it wasn’t a means to an end. I knew I was never guaranteed a position. Every year, the coaches made a determination about players and if you’re not included, you move on. That’s what I was faced with, so I left. Fortunately, I had a college degree.

What attracts you to the world of retail?

The dynamics of the job. No two days are alike and each day uses a variety of skills from negotiating to forecasting to management. And, retail impacts everybody everyday.

Aside from the Christmas parade, Hollywood isn’t known for the holidays. How will the center address retail’s biggest shopping season?

It’s true that we don’t have a historical perspective nor presence to go by. We’re writing the book as to what the Christmas season should be like here in Hollywood. There is a void of entertainment and we hope to set the tone with future events.

TrizecHahn Corp. announced earlier this year that it would sell its retail portfolio from 2002 to 2004. How will that impact Hollywood & Highland?

We’re fully aware of the announcement, but it’s a number of years down the road. We’re staying focused and are now transitioning from development to operations mode here at the center. We realize the results here will have a great deal to do with expectations of the sale.