The European luxury brands will join a stable of other well-known names at the billion-dollar, Southern California retail center

 

Alexander McQueen and Givenchy are the latest luxury brands to sign leases at South Coast Plaza.

They are to join more than 250 boutiques at the retail center in late spring, and the McQueen boutique will be the only Orange County location for the brand (there is a store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles), while the Givenchy boutique is a Southern California exclusive (it’s one brand that’s missing on Rodeo Drive).

Family-run South Coast Plaza, which the late Henry Segerstrom built into one of the most profitable retail centers in the world, with annual sales topping $1 billion, is already home to Dior, Tiffany & Co., Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Harry Winston, Hermès and The Webster.

Segerstrom was many times the first to bring European brands such as Courreges to the States. SCP this year celebrated its 50th anniversary.

The McQueen boutique will be located on Level 2 of the center in the Nordstrom Wing, while the Givenchy boutique will be located on Level 2 near Jewel Court.

The locations are significant because South Coast Plaza has more than 1 million feet of retail space, and customers often must park — or valet — strategically to shop at their favorite stores.

Luxury brands often target Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills concurrently with South Coast Plaza when planting a flag on the West Coast, and some ultimately choose one over the other while dealing with an ever-changing chessboard of scarce retail real estate.