Even amidst the ebb and flow of COVID-19 concerns, mall owners and developers are anticipating strong holiday shopping traffic for 2021. Leading up to December, certain retail brands are expected to be especially hot as shoppers once again descend into the malls. The buzz seems to be centered on the home, beauty, luxury, contemporary fashion and athleisure clothing categories.
The retail brands that Centennial Real Estate expects to be trending this holiday season include those that cater to millennial and Generation Z women, including athleisure brands, such as Lululemon Athletica, shoe tenants, such as Foot Locker, jewelry, including Kendra Scott and Pandora Jewelry, and beauty, such as Ulta Beauty and Lush. Centennial also predicts that experiential restaurant brands, such as Dave & Buster’s, will perform well over the holidays as families and friends, fatigued from COVID-19 lockdowns, will feel a need to get out and enjoy themselves socially.
Centennial is also betting that customers will want to buy unique, one-of-a-kind local gift items this winter. The mall developer has high hopes for Open Market O.C., a local Orange County, California brand. A unit in Centennial’s MainPlace Mall in Santa Ana, Calif., features 185 different local artisan vendors, and takes up a former Nordstrom space.
CenterCal Properties is hopeful that the holiday traffic will be robust, and also predicts that athleisure tenants, such as Athleta and Lululemon Athletica, will be particularly popular. In addition, beauty tenants, including Sephora and Ulta Beauty, are expected to be top traffic brands, in addition to retailers that cater to home living and decor, such as Pendleton, Nordstrom Rack and Ross Dress For Less.
Trademark Property Company is banking on contemporary clothing brands, such as Zara, to perform well this winter, in addition to luxury brands, including Tiffany & Co. and Louis Vuitton. The developer is also confident that the grocery stores in its mixed-use centers, such as Whole Foods Market, will have strong sales during the holidays, especially as customers once again host parties and family gatherings this holiday season.
