Former Westfield San Francisco Centre Poised for Revival

The former Westfield San Francisco Centre will be rebranded as Emporium Centre San Francisco. Trident Pacific Real Estate Group and JLL, which has been brought in to manage the property, outlined priority areas to revive the venerable property, whose downtown San Francisco presence predates its current incarnation as an indoor mall.

“Our job is to write the Centre’s next chapter by simultaneously stabilizing and improving the property,” said Gregg Williams, principal receiver of Trident Pacific, the firm appointed by a San Francisco Superior Court judge last October to manage the property after it was handed over to lenders.

Williams said the new name celebrates the mall’s history and staying power. “When it opened its doors in 1896 as The Emporium, it was hailed as ‘The Grandest Mercantile Building in the World’ and was the first department store on the West Coast,” said Williams. “During the Centre’s 128-year history, it has evolved with the times to sustain and reinvent itself as a community gathering place. We’re committed to working with our existing retailers and restaurants, the city and the community to ensure that this historic location has a new foundation to succeed.”

JLL’s Lane Wade has been named the Centre’s general manager. “San Francisco has always emerged stronger from fluctuating economic cycles and we believe this unique and accessible location will too,” said Wade.