A 28-year-old open-air outlet mall in Orange, California, is getting a multimillion-dollar facelift from Simon Property Group, adding designer brands, new infrastructure, and a completion target of late 2027.
The Outlets at Orange, home to more than 110 stores including Nike and Barnes & Noble, will see upgraded flooring, modern lighting, refreshed signage, new seating areas, landscaping, and shade structures under the renovation plan. Construction is expected to begin this fall, and the mall will stay open throughout the work, The Sun reported.
Simon Property Group, the Indianapolis-based real estate giant that owns and operates the property, has not disclosed a specific dollar figure for the project beyond calling it a multimillion-dollar investment. The company has also not named a spokesperson or executive behind the announcement. What is clear: the mall that first opened its doors in 1998 is about to get its most significant refresh in nearly three decades.
Beyond cosmetic upgrades, the renovation will bring new retail names to the center. Coach, the designer handbag and accessories brand, and Michael Kors are both slated to open at the Outlets at Orange as part of the overhaul. Whether those brands have signed leases or remain in the "announced" phase is not specified in available reporting.
The additions signal that Simon sees enough foot traffic and spending potential in Orange County to justify recruiting higher-end tenants. For shoppers who already visit the mall for deals at Nike and Barnes & Noble, the arrival of two more nationally recognized brands could change the center's competitive position against nearby retail options.
The renovation details were first reported by What Now, a retail and restaurant news site, and picked up by The Sun. Neither outlet specified the exact construction start date beyond "this fall," and no breakdown of spending, how much goes to flooring versus landscaping versus tenant buildouts, has been made public.
Simon's investment in the Outlets at Orange runs against the grain of a national narrative that has focused heavily on store closures and dying malls. Across the country, anchor tenants have been pulling out of aging shopping centers, leaving vacancies that drag down foot traffic and property values.
But the picture is not uniformly bleak. Some property owners and retailers are doubling down on physical locations rather than retreating to e-commerce.
On Long Island, for instance, developers have proposed turning an aging enclosed mall into a $200 million open-air "lifestyle center", a format similar to the Outlets at Orange. The open-air model, which avoids the overhead of climate-controlled corridors and offers a more walkable, outdoor shopping experience, has fared better than traditional enclosed malls in many markets.
Elsewhere, retailers have been moving into spaces left behind by competitors. Gap Factory recently occupied a former Forever 21 location in one example of how brands are reshuffling rather than simply disappearing from the physical landscape.
Simon Property Group itself is one of the largest mall operators in the country, and its willingness to pour capital into a property approaching its third decade suggests the company sees a return worth chasing. Open-air centers with a mix of outlet pricing and recognizable brands have held up better than many indoor malls, particularly in sunbelt states where year-round outdoor shopping is practical.
The planned upgrades read like a modernization checklist: better flooring underfoot, improved lighting, cleaner signage, more places to sit, and shade structures to keep Southern California shoppers comfortable. Landscaping improvements round out the cosmetic overhaul.
The mall's more than 110 existing stores will remain accessible during construction, though the renovation timeline stretches into late 2027, meaning shoppers should expect some disruption over the next two-plus years.
Several questions remain open. Simon has not said whether any current tenants will be displaced or relocated to make room for Coach, Michael Kors, or other incoming brands. The company has not published a phased construction schedule, so it is unclear which sections of the mall will see work first. And the "multimillion-dollar" label covers a wide range, the difference between a $5 million refresh and a $50 million transformation is significant, and Simon has not narrowed the figure.
Even the nostalgia-driven side of retail is finding new footing in California malls. Toys "R" Us recently announced plans for a standalone store at a California mall, betting that brand recognition and in-person experience still matter to consumers who grew up with the chain.
Simon's bet in Orange follows a similar logic. A mall that has survived 28 years, outlasting countless retail bankruptcies, a pandemic, and the rise of Amazon, apparently earned enough loyalty and revenue to justify a significant reinvestment rather than a teardown or a sale.
Other retailers are making the same calculation in different markets. Spencer's recently expanded its flagship at Cherry Hill Mall in New Jersey, choosing to grow its physical footprint rather than shrink it.
In an economy where consumers keep hearing that brick-and-mortar is finished, the companies actually writing the checks seem to disagree, and they are putting real money behind that conviction.