A thorough overhaul at the Westfield Century City Mall is nearly complete, and the revamped shopping center will be officially unveiled at a grand opening event October 3.
The mall’s $1-billion makeover has added more than 400,000 square feet of space to the complex’s footprint, and the Los Angeles Times reports that 90 percent of the stores are new.
Among the most noticeable additions will be an outdoor event space called the Atrium that seats 1,000 and will be used for concerts and live performances (Joe Jonas and his band, DNCE, will be performing at the grand opening).
There will also be a few more places to rest up after a big purchase. The mall’s new design includes custom-designed furniture by designer Kelly Wearstler.
Meant to make the mall more attractive to deep pocketed shoppers, the reboot includes high-end features like personalized reserved parking stalls and private VIP lounges. Celebrities looking to do a little shopping without drawing a crowd will also be able to access stores via a private elevator and even make appointments with retailers after the mall closes.
“The mall design is meant to be a sanctuary,” Westfield executive Peter Lowy tells the Times.
Westfield also aims to make the shopping center more appealing to less recognizable Hollywood professionals. Last month, the developer announced that the Century City mall would become a “home base” for costume designers and stylists working in the entertainment industry.
To make that happen, Westfield signed on as a sponsor of the Costume Designers Guild Awards and plans to offer “personalized shopping services” and private fitting rooms to stylists and designers.
To the non-VIP clientele, the most exciting additions to the mall may be yet to come. Popular Italian food emporium Eataly will open its first Los Angeles location later this year. Early next year, a virtual reality entertainment center called Dreamscape Immersive will come online. The concept is partially financed by AMC Entertainment, which operates the mall’s movie theater.
The shopping center’s redevelopment has been in the works for over a decade, and once involved plans for a 39-story residential tower next door. In 2014, Lowy tells the Times, Westfield set those plans aside to focus on expanding retail opportunities.
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