Torrance’s sprawling Del Amo Fashion Center, already one of the nation’s largest malls, is getting even bigger. But in a reflection of the struggling retail industry’s woes, an entertainment-oriented business — not the addition of new stores — is largely driving the expansion.

The city’s Planning Commission on Wednesday approved the construction of a 42,336-square-foot Dave & Buster’s, the nation’s largest chain of restaurants with an extensive assortment of video games.

It was first disclosed in January that a Dave and Buster’s would come to the south end of the mall.

“The facility will provide additional entertainment options for the surrounding community and further establishes the Del Amo Fashion Center as a regional destination,” Senior Planner Oscar Martinez said in a report to the commission.

To make room for the restaurant, the mall intends to demolish 71,200 square feet of vacant small storefronts between anchors Sears and J.C. Penney.

In total, there will be 81,706 square feet of new retail space, which will also include Marshalls, the off-price department store that currently sits adjacent to BJ’s Restaurant just to the north of Carson Street.

That addition will bring the total gross leasable area at the mall to 2.6 million square feet. That’s just 6,494 square feet under the maximum size of the mall that’s currently permitted.

The new portion of the mall will also include three other tenant spaces being built on spec, meaning the mall does not have tenants for them yet.

Representatives of Dave & Buster’s could not be reached for comment; mall officials did not respond to messages.

It’s unclear when the Dave & Buster’s will open, but if history is any guide it’s likely to be next year at least.

Simon Property Group, is spending more than $300 million on much-needed updating of the Hawthorne Boulevard property.

That work is still underway at the mall’s south end, where a new large Dick’s Sporting Goods is preparing to open later this spring. The Outback Steakhouse is expected to reopen in July.

The cracked and deteriorated parking lot to the east of the mall will also be improved as part of the project, city officials said.

Merchants in the south end of the mall are largely discount oriented or are small, independently owned businesses rather than chains. The more upscale north end of the mall, which includes a new Nordstrom, is devoted to high-end fashion.

To further differentiate them, they even have different names: the mall’s south end is known as Del Amo Shopping Center.

Mall operators have struggled to keep space filled as stores shutter at a rate not seen since the Great Recession.

Del Amo has not been immune to that trend, with chains like The Limited and Bebe shutting down in recent weeks.

But large malls have generally avoided the fate of smaller ones like the South Bay Galleria in neighboring Redondo Beach, which lost the Nordstrom to Del Amo and has floundered ever since.

David Simon, chairman and chief executive officer of Simon, said last week in an earnings call that the company’s average mall occupancy rate is 95.6 percent, unchanged from the previous March despite a “choppy” retail environment.

“We are off to a good start in 2017 with the reporting of financial and operational results that exceeded our expectations, led by 3.8 percent growth in comparable property net operating income,” Simon said.

The latest Del Amo eatery, Luna Grill, a San Diego-based chain specializing in Mediterranean food, had its grand opening Thursday.