Mall launches million-dollar upgrade project

SARASOTA — A multimillion-dollar renovation has begun at the Westfield Southgate mall in Sarasota.

The upgrades at the mall, a few miles south of downtown Sarasota on U.S. 41, will include new tile, upgraded furnishings, fixtures, landscaping and a color scheme, according to a release. There will also be new fountains and new lighting.

“It's Westfield's philosophy to continually invest and reinvest in our properties,” Westfield District Marketing Director-Florida Sam Davidson says in the statement. “The plan for Westfield Southgate is the perfect model of that commitment. We're taking a very strong shopping center and adding new elements and energy to enhance its appeal for Gulf Coast residents, the many domestic and international visitors as well as for our retail partners that cater to these shoppers.”

New phases of the renovation project, in addition to rebranding and new retailers, will be announced in 2014, mall officials say. The mall's parent company is the Westfield Group, which also operates the Westfield Sarasota Square Mall in south Sarasota and several other shopping centers on the Gulf Coast.

The Southgate renovations come during a busy period for malls in the Sarasota-Bradenton market: The Mall at University Town Center, a $315 million project, is under construction off University Parkway in north Sarasota County. The 880,000-square-foot mall is expected to open in October 2014.