(Above) Zara features a two-story layout, taking the place of Forever 21. As one of the largest fast-fashion retailers, Zara’s opening is expected to draw strong attention, especially from the large number of tourists who visit The Mall at Millenia while traveling to Orlando.
The Mall at Millenia opened to the public in 2002 with a variety of stores that have changed and renewed as time passed and as the mall became more popular. Originally, The Mall at Millenia was a “luxury mall” with most of the stores being high-end brands like Chanel, Tiffany and Co., and Gucci. It also had very popular, big corporations such as Apple, which was a very new, high-profile technology company at the time. The anchor stores, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, and Neiman Marcus, were also a very prominent part of The Mall at Millenia’s opening, and remain part of the mall to this day, 24 years later. The Mall at Millenia has expanded the diversity of its stores from being luxury, high-end stores, to having a wide selection of different kinds of boutiques, restaurants, shops, and more. More affordable, everyday stores like Bath and Body Works, Claire’s, and H&M have been incorporated into the mall’s culture, attracting more shoppers: locals and tourists alike.
The most popular shops in the mall that attract most shoppers include Lululemon, Alo, Aritzia, Sephora, and Apple. Currently, The Mall at Millenia is going through a major “re-birth” by replacing mediocre shops with more popular, high-demand stores and restaurants. Including, PacSun, Zara, Princess Polly, Levi’s, Auntie Anne’s. A small Italian restaurant, DalMoros Fresh Pasta to Go, will also be replacing Bricks & Bowls, further proving the mall’s desire for further change and development. PacSun has recently opened its store, no longer under construction, while the rest of the establishments are still in the process of being built. Zara is projected to be the best, and biggest, addition to the mall in terms of attracting the most people, thus being a very profitable addition to the shops.
(Above) While not seeming so at first, the food court plays a very important role in keeping customer engagement and satisfaction, which is why the selection of restaurants and fast food chains is very important. When some places are lacking in business, replacements are needed to keep customer interest high. The mall serves about 10-12 million annual visitors, and 25% of total visitors being tourists, meaning that new openings spark attention Adding Auntie Anne’s is one of the changes that The Mall of Millenia thought would be a good change to make, being a very loved and appreciated fast food restaurant. (Yara Koteish)(Above) Although Orlando does not currently have a dedicated Brandy Melville store, many shoppers access the brand through the John Galt section inside PacSun. Founded in Italy and known for its California-inspired style, Brandy Melville operates around 100 stores worldwide while earning over $200 million in annual revenue, despite maintaining a relatively small retail footprint. Because of this limited number of standalone locations, partnerships with retailers like PacSun play an important role in distributing the brand’s clothing. With PacSun opening at The Mall at Millenia, one of Central Florida’s most high-end shopping destinations, Brandy Melville products will now be more accessible to local shoppers without the brand requiring a stand-alone store. (Yara Koteish)(Above) The Mall at Millenia’s changes have all followed a common theme, with most of its new stores being targeted towards a younger audience. This applies to PacSun as well as Princess Polly, which is opening soon. Its addition to the mall is a bit strange since it’s known as an online shopping site with few in-person stores. (Yara Koteish)(Above) While being mostly known as a store appealing to women and girls, PacSun is also a very popular store among men, appealing to a larger group of shoppers. The men’s section of PacSun is surprisingly large when compared to other PacSun stores, which are usually more abundant in women’s clothing and fashion. A large selection of t-shirts, hoodies, and other garments were displayed for the men’s section, which is a factor in the large amount of foot traffic, particularly on the men’s side of the store. At the same time, the women’s section is somewhat larger and has a more diverse selection of clothes than the men’s side. However, the extra effort put into the men’s section was a good move on PacSun’s part as it led to a higher volume of customers. (Yara Koteish)(Above) Even though Levi’s products are sold through many retailers, like Aritzia, having a dedicated Levi’s store allows it to fully control how its identity, brand, and image are presented. Because denim is such a timeless staple, Levi’s has managed to remain one of the most recognizable clothing brands in the world, elevating its presence. (Yara Koteish)
Yara Koteish is a staff member for Lake Highland Preparatory School’s newspaper class. Yara has been a student at Lake Highland for 12 years and has a younger brother in 10th grade. She is on the Lake Highland varsity and club swim team and has been swimming for 15 years. When not in school or sports, Yara enjoys traveling and likes to spend time having fun with her friends and family.
