Ala Moana signs 12 to new wing

Ala Moana Center said Tuesday it is on schedule to open in November its $572 million Ewa wing with 80 tenants, including 12 being announced Wednesday.

The project, which is expanding the former Sears space to 650,000 square feet, will include the first Bloomingdale’s in Hawaii and other large retailers and restaurants, as well as 200,000 square feet of space for smaller businesses.

Mall owner General Growth Properties Inc. is also spending $85 million to relocate Nordstrom to the Ewa wing in a new 185,000-square-foot space in March, according to the company’s annual regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

"Ala Moana Center is continuously evolving to maintain its current position as a world-class shopping destination," Scott Creel, Ala Moana’s senior marketing manager, said in a statement. "The expanded Ewa wing will feature new store offerings that will enhance the shopping experience for Hawaii residents and visitors."

The center was set to release Wednesday the names of a dozen tenants that have already signed on to open in the new space in the expanded three-level wing, including Aqua Blu, Hugo Boss, Moncler and Tempura Ichi­dai.

Additional merchants will be announced in the coming months, the center said.

The redevelopment will also add 1,000 new parking stalls, building four more parking levels on top of the existing four-story mauka-Ewa parking structure parallel to Kona Street.

The expansion allows General Growth to substantially increase revenue for the center between the bustling Wai­kiki tourism district and growing residential community in Kaka­ako.

Ala Moana, with 290 stores and 2.1 million square feet of retail space, will expand to roughly 2.4 million square feet.

The mall, which attracts 42 million shoppers annually and generates sales in excess of $1,400 per square foot, also reconfigured its Centerstage and upgraded the surrounding street-level shops.