Westfield Celebrates the Most Wonderful Time of Year at Its Shopping Centers in the U.S.

The tradition of celebrating the holidays at Westfield continues with one-of-a-kind experiences that keep safety, services, community and fun top of mind

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Visits with Santa, virtual scavenger hunts and more are planned this holiday season at Westfield malls across the U.S., Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) announced today. The company’s shopping centers will welcome guests eager to safely experience their favorite traditions with family and friends by offering festive experiences, exclusive shopping events, and a variety of services designed to complement consumers’ online shopping.

“Although the holidays may look a bit different this year, we want to make them feel the same as always by providing amenities that not only make it safe to shop, but fun and festive too,” says Ghadi Hobeika, executive vice president, Media Sales, Marketing and Digital at URW. “We have been very thoughtful about creating experiences that support our retailers, local communities, and charitable partners while helping our customers overcome the stress of the past year, rediscover their favorite holiday traditions, and revel in the magic of this most special time.”

To ensure its guests have a place to celebrate the season together with friends and family, Westfield is delivering one-of-a-kind experiences focused on safety, services, community and fun through a variety of programs and initiatives across its centers.

SAFETY

Westfield is committed to the health and safety of our customers, employees and the community, and is working with local stakeholders, public health officials and retailers to ensure that relevant guidelines are being followed this holiday season. In addition to increased cleanings of common areas and monitoring and enforcing capacity; social distancing; and the wearing of face coverings, Bureau Veritas, the world’s most respected provider in testing, inspection and certification processes, certified Westfield cleaning processes with its industry-leading hygiene and safety excellence label, SafeGuard™. More information on shopping center health and safety practices can be found on each center’s website.

SERVICES

Westfield will continue to go the extra mile this holiday season by providing services and amenities designed to ensure that customers have a safe and seamless experience. Select Westfield centers will offer Curbside Pickup; Line Pass, a Westfield app-based virtual queuing and appointment service to help make visits to the center more efficient; Ask An Elf (also known as Answers on the Spot); complimentary shopping bags; as well as Guest Service Ambassadors.

COMMUNITY

Westfield kicked off the holiday season with the launch of Shop Your Heart Out, a 10-day program that drives donations to local charities by offering guests access to exclusive offers from multiple retailers throughout its centers—from discounted sales, to gifts with purchase, and more. The initiative continues Westfield’s commitment to the communities it serves through a program that was launched in March under the hashtag #WestfieldCares. Visit www.westfield.com/westfieldcares for more information.

FUN

While health and safety remain top of mind, Westfield is also dedicated to helping its guests experience the joy of the holiday season through festive events and programming:

— For the first time, Westfield will open The Kids Market at Westfield at select centers in the U.S., a kids-only shopping experience designed to allow the littlest Westfield guests to shop by appointment for their families. The market is whimsical, fun, and just their size—and a place where they can select and purchase gifts all on their own. Each market will appear as if it has jumped out of the pages of a coloring book, with a quaint lobby where kids can put together shopping lists and set a budget with their parents; a puppet theater where they will get instructions about how to navigate the market; and products safely displayed so children can see and select what they’d like to buy, but never have to touch.

— Another first for select Westfield centers will be the Westfield Holiday Hunt, an immersive, augmented reality scavenger hunt that brings the magic of the holidays to life using CGI technology. Guests will discover unique QR codes displayed throughout each center. When scanned, they will unlock exclusive, original characters and artwork such as a snowman concierge that welcomes and guides you on your hunt; a flying Santa sleigh; and customizable winter wonderland photo backgrounds. Shoppers will receive special discounts or offers from retailers throughout the center, following each experience they unlock.

— The Holiday Market at Westfield will again come to life at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles. The market is an innovative pop-up experience that features a curated mix of the season’s best gifts from beloved and emerging brands in an immersive physical environment. New this year is the addition of a dedicated digital platform, so those who plan to holiday shop online—and those outside of the LA-area—will be able to virtually walk through the market and explore the various brands in an at-home experience that brings the physical market to life in a unique and engaging way. Additional details on the Holiday Market at Westfield, including participating brands, will be announced in the coming weeks.

— A visit with Santa is a part of the holiday experience for so many people and this year, Westfield partnered with Cherry Hill Programs to bring Santa to its centers starting November 27. Cherry Hill Programs is a renowned holiday photo experience provider, and they will keep Santa and all his visitors safe by taking precautions that maintain social distancing requirements while preserving the keepsake photo moment. Those wanting additional information on the Santa experience or to make an appointment with Santa can visit each shopping center’s website.

— For those feeling a bit “Grinchy” this year, select Westfield centers will host The Grinch’s Grotto, an imaginative take on holiday photo shoots that comes complete with a burlap sack full of presents, a Grinch-stylized holiday tree and a backlit fireplace with hanging stockings just as depicted in the book. Guests will enter these free-standing locations for a one-of-a-kind visit with The Grinch in his special cave for a photo-shoot and other special surprises that are both intimate and in true Grinch fashion—socially-distant. For more details and to make advanced reservations, visit https://www.grinchgrotto.com/.

Throughout the season, each Westfield shopping center will have additional programs, charitable events, and shopping experiences specific to its local community. For more information about local holiday events, hours, locations and resources, shoppers can visit www.westfield.com.

About Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield is the premier global developer and operator of Flagship destinations, with a portfolio valued at €60.4 Bn as at June 30, 2020, of which 86% in retail, 7% in offices, 5% in convention & exhibition venues and 2% in services. Currently, the Group owns and operates 89 shopping centres, including 55 Flagships in the most dynamic cities in Europe and the United States. Its centres welcome 1.2 billion visits per year. Present on two continents and in 12 countries, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield provides a unique platform for retailers and brand events and offers an exceptional and constantly renewed experience for customers. With the support of its 3,400 professionals and an unparalleled track-record and know-how, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield is ideally positioned to generate superior value and develop world-class projects. As at June 30, 2020, the Group had a development pipeline of €6.2 Bn. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield distinguishes itself by its Better Places 2030 agenda, that sets its ambition to create better places that respect the highest environmental standards and contribute to better cities. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield stapled shares are listed on Euronext Amsterdam and Euronext Paris (Euronext ticker: URW), with a secondary listing in Australia through Chess Depositary Interests. The Group benefits from an A- rating from Standard & Poor’s and from an A3 rating from Moody’s.

Contacts

Robyn Cottelli

Director, Public Relations, URW

robyn.cottelli@urw.com
929.254.8309