Urban Mall

Urban Outfitters Inc. (Philadelphia), operator of more than 200 Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie stores, is reportedly testing a new retail concept, called Space 1520, in a 26,000-square-foot building in West Hollywood, Calif.

According to a report in Women’s Wear Daily, the concept will include trendy shops, art galleries, entertainment, beauty and places to eat. An Urban Outfitters store will occupy 11,000 square feet and act as the landlord to other retailers it selects. WWD calls it similar to The Lab in Costa Mesa, Calif., which bills itself as the “anti-mall.”

“Space 1520 is very experiential and tied to culture, commerce and community,” Urban Outfitters ceo Glen Senk told WWD. “The back of the building opens onto an active farmers' market.”

He said that the concept could be expanded to other cities. “We have a couple of other locations where we took more space than we needed and will sublet,” Senk said. “We're selectively picking who our neighbors are. We're creating the overall identity for the building.”

Among Urban Outfitters other plans are smaller-format stores, such as the one that opened in Montreal selling women's wear and gifts. It will also build its first Anthropologie store in Canada in 2009 and in Europe in 2010.

“We're exploring many concepts,” Senk told WWD. “There are about twelve that we're thinking about right now. We have a board meeting in April to focus on new concepts.”