Los Cerritos Center

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Los Cerritos Center
Facts and statistics
Location Cerritos, California, USA
Opening date September 1971
Developer The Hahn Company
Management The Macerich Company
Owner The Macerich Company
No. of stores and services 180
No. of anchor tenants 5 (Macy's, Mervyns, Sears, Nordstrom, 11-screen United Artist Theatres)
Total retail floor area 1.3 million square feet (GLA)
No. of floors 1
Website http://www.shoploscerritos.com

The Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos, California is an upscale super-regional commercial shopping mall with a gross lease area of 1,288,245 square feet. It is located south of the San Gabriel River Freeway and Artesia Freeway junction.

Since September 1971, the Los Cerritos Center was and is an integral part of Cerritos' tax revenue. The mall is the City's second largest retail-revenue source, producing $561 per square foot ($368 million total) in sales in 2006. The tax revenue generated from the Los Cerritos Center for its host city totals to approximately $3.7 million a year. [1] The facility is managed by The Macerich Company.

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[edit] History

The Cerritos Redevelopment Agency initially invested $30 million for the development of the Los Cerritos Center area. The 100-acre shopping area built at Gridley Road and South Street was developed by Ernest M. Hahn, Inc. in September 1971 with the Phase I opening of the corridor from The Broadway department store (currently Macy's) to Ohrbach's (currently Mervyn's) in addition to having an initial 150 specialty stores. Phase II followed in 1972 with the opening of the wing from Ohrbach's to Sears. In 1981, Phase III saw the opening of Nordstrom and its wing. In November 1993 Phase IV was completed when the Palm Court Cafes debuted in the Center with 14 eateries. [2]

At its opening, the Los Cerritos Center was one of the area's first shopping malls and was noted for its high quality maintenance and complete climate-controlled environment.

The original goal of the center was to bring thousands of dollars of sales tax revenue to the City. In its first four years, the city of Cerritos' retail sales grew tenfold, topping over $207 million in 1974.

[edit] Today

The most recent design (Phase V) was completed in 1994 and includes three themed corridors. At this time, skylights were added to take advantage of the Southern California sunshine, and marble and stone were added to the walkways, along with benches and landscaping. The Macy's wing houses merchandise, a movie theatre and services for the family, center concourse holds more upscale fashion stores and boutiques, and the Sears wing focuses on specialty shops in entertainment as well as the Palms Court Cafe food court. Presently, the Center's owner is considering a redevelopment of the Center which may include new restaurants, an outdoor lifestyle center on the west side of the Center alongside Interstate 605, possibly an expanded Nordstrom and additional wings. [3] [4]

Realizing the importance of multiculturalism and diversity in the region today, the Los Cerritos Center, in conjunction with the City of Cerritos, is home to the Festival of Friendship held every February. Cultural booths and performances are held yearly with the goal of reaching out to the various communities and groups that the center's diverse demographic comprises.

In 2006, 10.2 million shoppers visited the mall with December 23rd marking the biggest day of the year with 84,935 visitors. The Los Cerritos Center attracts about 30,000 people a day and is the most financially successful mall in the Southeast Los Angeles region. [5]

[edit] Anchors


[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Eftychiou, A., & Cenovich, M. (2006). Cerritos at 50: celebrating our past and our future. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company Publishers.