Forever 21 to open mall store

VICTORVILLE • Forever 21, a fast-growing women's clothing retailer, is planning to take over space at the Mall of Victor Valley now occupied by Mervyns, which is closing its doors, officials said Friday.

Forever 21 and Kohl's prevailed in an auction Wednesday of Mervyns leaseholds. The move is subject to approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court overseeing Mervyns bankruptcy proceedings, according to officials with Macerich, which owns the Mall of Victor Valley.

The Mervyns location at the mall is 76,186 square feet. Forever 21 is expected to take over the entire location.

The Mervyns lease at the mall was part of a larger package of Mervyns store leases up for bid. Forever 21 will be taking 12 of the Mervyns spaces that were up for auction.

"We are thrilled to have a quality retailer such as Forever 21 join our lineup at The Mall of Victor Valley," said Vito Bello, marketing manager for the mall. "Forever 21 will add another dimension to the shopping experience at our center and is a great win for the local community as well."

Bello said that despite the challenging economic climate, Forever 21 is a solid, growing apparel retailer.

The store chain started in 1984 with a 900-square-foot store on Figueroa Street in Los Angeles. By the end of that first year, sales jumped from $35,000 to $700,000.

The founder capitalized on the success and opened new stores every six months. The company's flagship store opened in 2006 in Old Town Pasadena. The company is now averaging 90 new store openings a year.

Macerich owns approximately 77 million square feet of gross leaseable area consisting primarily of interests in 72 regional malls.