Media Contact:
Anita Walker, Westcor, 602.953.6563, Anita.Walker@westcor.com
Kimberly Hastings, Westcor, 602.953.6563, Kimberly.hastings@westcor.com
Phoenix, Ariz. – Nov. 8, 2007 – Desert Sky Mall, serving more than 1 million West Valley Phoenicians in a 10-mile radius, concludes dramatic redevelopment efforts today, including interior and exterior improvements and the Valley's first La Curacao, a 100,000-square-foot Latino-focused retailer and introducing new shopping center amenities.
The 26-year-old center, with a shopper base that is more than 60 percent Latino, has worked on perfecting the combination of Latino and mainstream retail and entertainment to serve the community's diverse needs. Today, the redevelopment to complement the booming retail mix is complete with a glistening new façade and sparkling interior accents.
“Desert Sky Mall is truly first of its class in the Valley,” said Scott Nelson, vice president development, Westcor. “The center has a combined retail and ambience unlike any other shopping center in Arizona, delivering what we think is the perfect product for the shopping center's customer.”
The redevelopment of Desert Sky Mall included drastic improvements to the interior of the center including elevated lighting, new paint and flooring, and new soft seating vignettes that add new design and depth to the interior aesthetics. These elements were designed to “brighten” and modernize the formerly dim and conservative center.
Drastic improvements were made to the center court through raising the formerly sunken center court floor equal to mall level, a redesign of the center court water feature and the redesign of a welcoming community gathering space that will serve as a perfect location to host frequent weekend entertainment. To complement the welcoming shopper amenities, a newly designed guest services center equipped with an integrated security dispatch was built available for all customer service needs.
In addition to all the center improvements, Desert Sky Mall introduced, La Curacao, a unique, first-to-market department store carrying appliances and electronics serving the Latino customer. A number of services of special interest to the Latino community, including computers, cosmetics, furniture, a travel agency, toys and export services are specialties of La Curacao. The unique retailer has six operating stores, including a location in Panorama City Mall in California, a Desert Sky Mall sister property.
“La Curacao brings a fascinating retail concept to Arizona,” said Zeke Valenzuela, Desert Sky Mall property manager. “We believe their focus on servicing the needs of the Latino culture and broad selection of quality retail will add a new dimension to Desert Sky Mall.”
Founded in 1969, Phoenix-based Westcor is a wholly owned subsidiary of Macerich. The largest owner-manager of commercial properties in Arizona, Westcor's portfolio currently consists of 18 million square feet of retail space at 28 shopping centers, including 11 super-regional centers, 3 specialty retail centers and 14 urban villages. The company has set the industry benchmark for ground-up shopping center development, such as Chandler Fashion Center, Prescott Gateway Mall and Scottsdale Fashion Square. Additional information about Westcor is available online at www.westcor.com.