Valley Fair expands luxury collection

Store additions hint at robust retail sector in the South Bay area

Westfield Valley Fair in San Jose is expanding its collection of luxury stores by adding more upscale merchants, a sign the South Bay is successfully weathering the retail woes that menace other parts of the Bay Area.

Some of the luxury retailers have opened their doors while others are working toward opening later this year at the mega mall near the interchange of Interstate 880 and Stevens Creek Boulevard.

“We have always had a strong luxury collection, but with the new additions, we are really rounding out our luxury stores,” said Sue Newsom, senior general manager with Westfield Valley Fair.

In March 2020, Valley Fair unveiled the first phase of a $1.1 billion mall expansion in an event that was festive yet tinged with uncertainty — coming the same month the coronavirus pandemic was beginning to rock the worldwide economy.

The timing was unfortunate because state and local government agencies soon after began imposing wide-ranging business shutdowns to combat the spread of the virus. The lockdowns affected Valley Fair and countless other hubs of commerce.

Yet even in the wake of the shutdowns and the restrictions, which are now lifted, Valley Fair has added more than 25 new or remodeled luxury retailers, according to mall officials.

Among the latest additions to the Valley Fair luxury collection:

• Valentino, a women's and men's fashion store. This is the only South Bay Valentino and the second in Northern California.

• Fendi, a fashion, clothing and accessories store for women and men. This is the second Northern California store and the first in the South Bay.

• Loewe, a clothing and accessories store.

• Marc Jacobs, a fashion and accessories store that recently reopened its Valley Fair location after an extensive remodel.

• Louis Vuitton, a clothing and accessories retailer, is slated to open before the

end of the year after a complete renovation of the store.

Burberry, Panerai, IWC Schaffhausen, JaegerLeCoultre, Christian Dior, Christian Louboutin, Tiffany & Co., Versace, Cartier, Balenciaga and TAG Heuer are among the other luxury collection stores at Valley Fair.

Valley Fair's expansion produced far more than the addition of luxury stores, though.

The revamped mall now also features merchants that offer unique experiences such as food-oriented moviegoing at ShowPlace ICON Theatre & Kitchen; Bowlero, which blends bowling and a nightclub; the Apple Store and its loyal and engaged customer base; and Eataly, a food hall that's also an immersion in all aspects of Italian cuisine and wines.

“One of the biggest transformations at Valley Fair is now we have a vast amount of things for every customer,” Newsom said. “Whether it's food, luxury, regular apparel and now the experiences, it has made us extremely well-rounded. We have something to offer every customer.”

The expansion of Valley Fair is also paying off with a remarkable rebound from the setbacks unleashed by the coronavirus outbreak and the shutdowns.

A few weeks ago, JeanMarie Tritant, chief executive officer of Unibail Rodamco Westfield, the principal owner of Westfield Valley Fair, noted during a conference call with analysts that foot traffic and store sales were doing well in the United States market during the final three months of 2023.

“We see a positive (United States) performance in terms of footfall and sales, both up 3% on a strong 2022 base,” Tritant said during the conference call.

Similarly, Westfield Valley Fair is experiencing a surge in customer visits and retail sales, Newsom stated.

“We have been way above pre-pandemic levels,” Newsom said. “We consistently have had nice increases year-over-year, even after the pandemic ended. Our increases are healthy for sure. They are way above the average increase for our U.S. malls.”