VALENCIA MALL CONTINUES TO THRIVE UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT SALES UP AT TOWN CENTER; CITY EVENTS DRAWING CROWDS.Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer VALENCIA - From soda machines in the aisles to play areas and new stores, changes are emerging at the Town Center since The Westfield Group The Westfield Group is a multinational company that owns shopping centres in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Westfield shopping centres are typically branded with the name Westfield or Westfield Shoppingtown in their name. took over management. Despite a rough start about five months ago - when a proposed name change to Westfield Shoppingtown sparked a public outcry - Santa Clarita's largest shopping center shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into has retained both shoppers and their dollars, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. company officials. Officials declined to release figures, but sales are up and regular city-sponsored events, including the Fourth of July Fourth of July, Independence Day, or July Fourth, U.S. holiday, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of it began during the American Revolution. fireworks fireworks: see pyrotechnics. fireworks Explosives or combustibles used for display. Of ancient Chinese origin, fireworks evidently developed out of military rockets and explosive missiles and accompanied the spread of military explosives westward to show set for today, are continuing to draw crowds, said Lindsay Lebby, Westfield Valencia Town Center's marketing director. ``I think our vision is ... to improve the shopping experience through our enhanced amenities and future development plans,'' she said. That's good news for City Hall, which relies on sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. revenues for nearly half of its annual operating funds. The city's general fund for the 2005-06 fiscal year is projected at $75.9 million. ``(The Town Center) is one of our larger sales tax generators, and as you know, our goal is to provide quality shopping for our residents,'' said Carrie Rogers, the city's economic development director. ``They are such a good partner for the city, and continue to step up to the plate.'' Initial changes at the 860,000-square-foot center included new signs and balloons for children. Recently, the company has also doubled the number of retail carts to about 30 and installed vending machines with Coca-Cola - a Westfield national partner - throughout the aisles. Carts selling everything from beads to shiatsu Shiatsu Definition Shiatsu is a manipulative therapy developed in Japan and incorporating techniques of anma (Japanese traditional massage), acupressure, stretching, and Western massage. massages have quickly diversified the mall's retail mix, Lebby said. Last week, the mall unveiled the Playtown - a playroom for its younger visitors. ``This is really the first large-scale, family-friendly amenity,'' she said. ``The (Santa Clarita) market is really family-oriented, so it's good for the community.'' The playground was a hit for Steve Brown on a recent day as he watched 2-year-old granddaughter Alexa scale a giant rubber turtle. ``It's really fun for her and it lets me sit on my butt,'' said Brown, 55, of Castaic. ``This is long past due,'' said Sylvia Chlebek, 40, of Saugus as her 5-year-old, Jake, bounced around the area. ``They should've had this when they opened the mall, because kids don't like shopping.'' But she wasn't too thrilled about the soda machine nearby. ``Water would be better - too much sugar.'' More substantial changes are under way, including the arrival of clothier Banana Republic, a skateboard and surf shop, and other additions later this year. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , Westfield and partner The Newhall Land and Farming Company The Newhall Land and Farming Company is a land management company based in Valencia, California, United States. The company is responsible for the master community planning of Valencia, as well as the management of farm land elsewhere in the state. also have submitted a proposed 600,000-square-feet expansion for city review. The efforts come amid changing tastes in a city where the annual median household income The median household income is commonly used to provide data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more. now is more than $76,000. ``The goal we're trying to meet with the development is to meet with the changing needs of changing demographics - to keep them shopping in Santa Clarita,'' Lebby said. Eugene Tong, (661) 257-5253 eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Westfield management has added vendor carts and a playroom at the Valencia Town Center. Carts selling everything from beads to massages have reportedly diversified the retail mix. Joel P. Lugavere/Special to the Daily News |
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