RETAIL
Santa Monica Place Awarded VIVA ‘Best of the Best’
Luxury retail center Santa Monica Place in Santa Monica, Calif., was honored with the annual VIVA “Best of the Best” award at the International Council of Shopping Centers’ RECon convention in Las Vegas, which ran May 20–23.
ICSC’s VIVA recognizes companies for excellence in categories such as architectural design and marketing. Santa Monica Place, a Macerich Co. property, competed against other malls across the globe, including Marmara Forum retail center in Istanbul; Morocco Mall in Casablanca, Morocco; Robina Town Centre in Australia; and Westfield Valencia Town Center in Valencia, Calif.
According to an ICSC statement, Santa Monica Place was honored because it converted a traditional enclosed mall into a unique, open-air center. It created a landmark look “yet, by design, blends seamlessly into an urban retail environment,” according to the statement. The center’s design architect was The Jerde Partnership Inc., headquartered in Los Angeles’ Venice neighborhood.
Santa Monica Place also is one of the few retail centers to be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as a “LEED Gold” building. When Santa Monica Place opened in August 2010, the design was meant to stand out, said Art Coppola, Macerich chairman and chief executive officer.
“Our vision was to completely transform the property from a traditional mall into a new world-class outdoor destination that would attract the world’s top retailers. That’s exactly what we have accomplished,” he said.
Santa Monica Place’s Bloomingdale’s location also was honored, for store design, with a VIVA Best of the Best award. Other retailers doing business at Santa Monica Place include Nordstrom; designer boutiques 3.1 Philip Lim and Valentino; premium-denim stores True Religion, G-Star and 7 For All Mankind; mall retailer Hot Topic; fast-fashion stores Love Culture and Angl; and Kitson.
