Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
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When brothers Gill and Ofer Zahavi first envisioned this video-centric Hollywood experience, which opened in June, they were following this formula: Entertain- ment plus Hollywood flash equals retail traffic. Their calculations could hardly have been better: Gill Zahavi says he esti- mates that upwards of 10,000 awed visi- tors cross the threshold of this all-things Hollywood memorabilia store daily. "It's exceeding our expectations," he said. The Zahavis have a 25-year history in Los Angeles retailing. It seems they under- stand Hollywood retail sensation well, hav- ing owned the Hollywoodland Experience, a smaller, milder version of La La Land — which may perhaps show that these things are best worked up to gradually. In any case, this new concept is drawing locals and tourists by the millions each year. For tour- ists, the visit may be a strictly once-in-a-life- time proposition, but as for the locals, keep- ing them excited and coming back will take n y O n E W A n T I n G to slip into the mellowed bliss of la-la land should probably avoid the La La Land store, on Hollywood Boulevard and Orange Street, in Los Angeles, its name notwithstanding. On the other hand, if one seeks im- mersion into the sensory-overload excitement of multimedia interactiv- ity, then this new retail concept could be the very first place to go. work, says retail expert Paco Underhill. "What gets 'hot' fast can cool fast if there's no innovation," Underhill said, pointing to some niketown stores, where sales have dropped, and to the failed Warner Bros. store in new york City's Times Square. no worries, Zahavi says — fast-paced innovation is built into the DnA of the store's programmable mul- timedia systems. "We have mountains of programming and can change con- tent often," he said. "But even without changes, the store will feel like a new expe- rience every time. no one will get bored." The name La La Land is visible from some distance away, spelled out in eight-foot-high letters from just in- side wraparound glass walls. Videos are projected across those letters, and vid- eos are also playing continuously on 14 floor-to-ceiling columns throughout the A That's Hollywood the La La Land store offers as much entertainment as merchandise r e t A i l i n g t o d A y 28 S C t / n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 4