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HISPANIC SHOPPERS LOVE THEIR MALLS, AND VICE VERSA

For the second year in a row, ICSC’s analysis of customer intercept data from major U.S. malls points to the prodigious shopping habits of Hispanics. Sharron King, general manager of South Bay Pavilion, in the ethnically diverse community of Carson, Calif., lives the reality behind such statistics every day. She likes what she sees.

Hispanics make up about 40 percent of the mall’s shopper base but are easily its most active consumers, King says. This activity level is no mere function of population growth, she says. In part for cultural reasons, Hispanics visit malls more often, stay longer and buy more. “There is just so much more opportunity there for the future,” she said.

In the 2004 ICSC survey, which examined about 23,600 exit interviews conducted at 52 malls, Hispanics spent 91.5 minutes at the mall, compared with an aggregate average of 80.6 minutes, and their total spending per visit was $96.70, versus an aggregate $86.30. In fact, Hispanics spent the most in every store segment measured in the survey: department stores, mall shops and restaurants.

According to South Bay Pavilion’s own customer intercepts, the average per-visit expenditure at the mall is $212 for Hispanics, $206 for blacks and $149 for whites. Hispanics spend $170 per visit at department stores, versus $154 for all shoppers.

Though marketing to Hispanics does require linguistic and cultural know-how, landlords need not reengineer the overall tenant mix. “Hispanic shoppers, and other ethnic shoppers in general, seek the same retailers as you would find at any other shopping center in America,” King said. South Bay (which is being redeveloped by Newport Beach, Calif.-based Hopkins Real Estate Group) is anchored by Ikea, JCPenney, Sears and Target.

— JG