A Hello Kitty-themed restaurant serving coffee and cocktails. Handcrafted ice cream stuffed inside a doughnut. Slick Americana socks designed for punks and poets.

That’s the vision for a $200 million expansion of the Irvine Spectrum Center, one of Orange County’s busiest malls. On Thursday, the Irvine Co. revealed 14 of the 30 retailers and restaurants slated to open in 2018 and 2019 in the former Macy’s space. Tenants range from local retail and food hotshots to international brands such as Hello Kitty Cafe, H&M, Sephora and 85°C Bakery Café.

The Irvine Company revealed a round of new tenants expected to open at the $200-million addition at the Irvine Spectrum Center. (Nancy Luna, Orange County Register/SCNG)

New construction at the Irvine Spectrum Center on January 2018. (Nancy Luna, Orange County Register)

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The first wave of tenants at the 137,000 square-foot area located past the Giant Wheel is slated to open this summer. New food tenants include include Hello Kitty Café, H&M, 85°C Bakery Café, Falasophy, BLK Coffee, Afters Ice Cream and Robata Wasa. (Nancy Luna, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Irvine Company announced Jan. 11 that it plans to add 30 new stores and restaurants as part of a $200-million reinvestment in the Irvine Spectrum Center. Hello Kitty Cafe (shown) will get a permanent spot in the new addition, show behind the temporary cafe. (Nancy Luna, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The centerpiece of the reinvestment includes four new building, shown behind Hello Kitty Cafe, on the southeastern edge of the center set to house 30 new stores and restaurants. (Nancy Luna, Orange County Register/SCNG)



A new multi-tenant expansion, where Macy’s used to be, is under construction at the Irvine Spectrum. (Nancy Luna, Orange County Register)

Irvine Spectrum and its Edwards 21 cinemas were filled with costumed fans of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” last weekend. (Courtesy: The Irvine Company)

Black Friday shoppers carry bags of goods as they pass a window sale sign at the Irvine Spectrum Center in Irvine early Friday morning, November 24, 2017. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

No. 302: Do Won and Jin Sook Chang, 61, of Beverly Hills worth $2.7 billion from fashion retail. Pictured is the Irvine Spectrum Center Forever 21 store.

Irvine Spectrum Center (Photo by Nick Agro, Orange County Register/SCNG)



A view of Irvine Spectrum Center from the 10th floor of 200 Spectrum where Mazda’s North American headquarters has relocated. (Samantha Gowen, Orange County Register)

A nearly 140,000 square foot expansion of the Irvine Spectrum Center is being built where Macy’s used to stand. The new space will occupy 30 tenants, including a two-story H&M and several restaurants. (Rendering Courtesy the Irvine Co.)

A rendering of the new alfresco paseos under construction at the Irvine Spectrum Center. (Courtesy the Irvine Co.)

Rendering of the Irvine Spectrum Center expansion shows a 2-story H&M. (Courtesy the Irvine Co.)

The expansion, one of the biggest capital investments made at the center since it opened 22 years ago, includes four buildings with 30 new tenants. A two-story H&M will be the Swedish fast-fashion retailer’s largest store West of the Mississippi. San Clemente-based Stance, a socks brand geared for everyone from skateboarders to boardroom executives, is opening its first Southern California store in the new building.

“They are really best in class retailers,” Irvine Co. retail executive Butch Knerr said in a phone interview Thursday morning.

The first wave of restaurants and retailers are slated to open by mid-August with the rest coming in 2019, including a Sephora beauty store.

Other shops and eateries announced Thursday include food-truck-turned restaurant Falasophy (Lebanese street food), BLKdot Coffee (Vietnamese cafe), Afters Ice Cream (home of the Milky Bun doughnut stuffed with ice cream), Robata Wasa (sushi from the owners of Izakaya Wasa); Concrete Rose (shoes), Gorjana (Laguna Beach jeweler), SoHa Living (coastal home decor), The Denim Lab (an in-store fitting lab helps customers choose jeans with a flawless fit), Los Angeles-based Perverse Sunglasses and SST&C (Milan-based menswear).

Related: A closer look at the 14 stores, restaurants

Finding the right fit of stores

Knerr, who came to the Irvine Company in October, said the company’s retail team has spent months curating concepts that bring the kind of “energy and individuality” that the Irvine Spectrum is known for.

“You want people that are going to be new and exciting, that our customers can’t find everywhere,” said Knerr, president of Irvine Company Retail Properties.

And, that’s why shoppers won’t see a trendy food hall at the expansion. Nearly every new or remodeled lifestyle center in Orange County has added these culinary walkabouts.

Knerr, who spent 26 years at Simon Property Group, said the new space will include some quick-service and fast-casual restaurants. But a food hall is not “the right fit for the Spectrum,” he said.

Trendsetter, not trend follower

After all, chasing trends is not what the Irvine Spectrum Center is about.

Since opening in 1995, the Newport Beach-based developer has billed the Spectrum as the first in the country to be anchored by restaurants and entertainment venues, setting a precedent for the next generation of open-air shopping centers.

As such, the Irvine Co. has never stopped expanding or tweaking the tenant mix to ensure it remains relevant with shoppers. When Target opened in 2006, the Irvine Co. said it was the first time a U.S. mall would include both a Target and a Nordstrom.

The investments over the years have paid off.

The center is the Irvine Company’s most popular mall. Roughly 17 million people visit the center annually, about 1 million more than the developer’s 50-year-old luxury retail center, Fashion Island – and 5 million fewer than tourist-driven South Coast Plaza.

““It’s certainly one of the busiest (malls) in the country,” Knerr said.

The latest expansion is expected to drive more foot traffic, though Knerr declined to speculate by how much. With 30 more tenants, “we know it’s going to more,” he said.

In terms of square footage, the new space is not the largest addition made at the linear-shaped center. But, it is one of the largest capital reinvestments, Knerr said.

A majority of the $200 million covers the new construction at the former Macy’s space. But, about $20 million will also be spent on improving and remodeling landscaping and outdoor furniture throughout the mall.

The enhancements will match the rolling paseos, fountains, alfresco lounges covered by shade canopies and century-old olive trees and heritage pines found at the new expansion.

No more anchor departments stores

Unlike traditional indoor malls, the Irvine Spectrum Center has never been reliant on old-school anchor department stores to draw customers.

When it opened, the main draw was a 21-screen movie complex (the largest in Orange County at the time), a virtual reality arcade and dining venues. Nordstrom, Target and Macy’s (formerly Robinsons-May) came later.

When ideas go south – too little parking, failed concepts – the developer has acted swiftly to right the ship.

That’s exactly what happened in 2016 with the closure of Macy’s.

Only a few days after Macy’s announced plans to shutter its Spectrum location, the Irvine Co. revealed its plan to demolish the building to make room for a collection of smaller shops.

“When you think about where retail is going … you don’t need as many department stores,” Knerr said. “They’re not as relevant.”

Still, one of the largest tenants will be a two-story, 43,536-square-foot H&M store. The fast-fashion Swedish retailer, known for its affordable, but stylish clothes for women, men and kids, will rival the company’s largest store in New York, Knerr said.

Hello Kitty Cafe, which has operated a temporary coffee shop at the mall for more than a year, is also getting a permanent spot – with cocktails. It’s the brand’s first-ever café with a bar. The 1,700 square foot space is set to open with other shops in mid-August. The pop-up’s last day open in Irvine is Saturday, according to its Instagram page.

The Sanrio-themed food brand follows the company’s focus on adding destination shops, especially food and entertainment venues.

In 2014, the Irvine Co. said restaurants represented about 13 percent of leasable space at the center, up from 10 percent in 2013. Now it’s up to 18 percent, well above the industry standard of 5 to 6 percent, Knerr said.

Expect that number to continue to grow, Knerr said.

“You can’t buy a glass of wine on the internet.”

Irvine Spectrum Center: Fun Facts

Nov. 21, 1995: The center, then called “Entertainment Center at Irvine Spectrum” opens with 1,317 parking spaces. The 2018 expansion will add a 1,520-space parking structure, bringing the total to more than 6,500 spaces.

The center, then called “Entertainment Center at Irvine Spectrum” opens with 1,317 parking spaces. The 2018 expansion will add a 1,520-space parking structure, bringing the total to more than 6,500 spaces. November 1997 : The center was one of nine locations in the country to display a beaded gown once worn by the late Princess Diana.

: The center was one of nine locations in the country to display a beaded gown once worn by the late Princess Diana. 1997: Average daily attendance was 13,600 or nearly 5 million a year. Today, the center’s yearly foot traffic has more than tripled to 17 million.

Average daily attendance was 13,600 or nearly 5 million a year. Today, the center’s yearly foot traffic has more than tripled to 17 million. 1998: Edwards 21 Cinemas is named the most-visited theater complex in the nation, selling 3 million tickets during 1997, according to box office tracker AC Nielsen.

Edwards 21 Cinemas is named the most-visited theater complex in the nation, selling 3 million tickets during 1997, according to box office tracker AC Nielsen. 2002: A third expansion opens with nearly 60 more restaurants and retail stores including Macy’s (formerly Robinsons-May), Urban Outfitters and Forever 21. The Giant Wheel also arrives.

A third expansion opens with nearly 60 more restaurants and retail stores including Macy’s (formerly Robinsons-May), Urban Outfitters and Forever 21. The Giant Wheel also arrives. 2005: Nordstrom, Anthropologie, bebe, LOFT, White House | Black Market, Aveda, Old Navy open.

Nordstrom, Anthropologie, bebe, LOFT, White House | Black Market, Aveda, Old Navy open. 2006: Target opens.

Target opens. 2014: The Improv comedy club triples in size with relocation to old food court space. Umami Burger also opens in the same space.

Source: Register archives, Irvine Co.