Galleria

The Glendale Galleria has a new leader. General Growth Properties Inc. last week named Chris Bilotto as the new senior general manager at the landmark shopping center with 250 specialty stores and anchors including Nordstrom, Macy's JCPenney and Target. Bilotto previously managed General Growth's Arizona Center, a 250,000-square-foot shopping, entertainment and office complex in Phoenix. Bilotto takes over one of the largest centers in Southern California and one that some Glendale business leaders hope will get a bit of a makeover.

GLENDALE — Police detectives released surveillance footage on Monday that shows a man minutes before he allegedly steals a $9,200 Rolex watch from a jewelry store in the Glendale Galleria. Detectives are seeking the public's help in identifying the man who stole the Rolex "Deep Sea" watch Aug. 2 from Classic Design while store clerks had stepped away, police said. "The biggest thing is that we want to put a name to a face," Glendale Police Det. Keith James said. The alleged thief walked into the store about 11:39 a.m. and approached a store clerk about a watch in a glass display case, James said.

CENTRAL GLENDALE — Hundreds of young fans gathered Saturday at the Glendale Galleria for a chance to meet Olympic gold-medal-winning gymnast Nastia Liukin. "We thought it would be really cool to get her autograph and see her," said 14-year-old Glendale resident Anna Hall, who came with her mom and 9-year-old sister Adella. "We really admire her passion. " At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Liukin tied the U.S. gymnastics record for most medals in one Olympic Games by medaling in five events, including the gold medal in the all-around competition.

The owner of the Glendale Galleria plans to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy as two companies in October, officials announced Monday. General Growth Properties Inc., which filed for bankruptcy last year, also announced that it had received assurances for as much as $8.5 billion in new capital, which would pay its debts in full. Out of the two-firm split, one called the "New GGP," would continue to own and operate shopping malls. The other, Spinco, would oversee master-planned and mixed-use communities, as well as mall development projects.

GLENDALE — Kendra Owen was shopping at the Glendale Galleria on Wednesday when Alana Gregos, the assistant manager of the LUSH cosmetics store, briefed her on North America's dependence on fossil fuel. Gregos was one of the more than half-dozen LUSH employees who wore T-shirts, posters and black plastic oil barrels to raise awareness of the Canadian tar sands, an oil operation in Alberta that opponents say wastes energy and produces toxic runoff to neighboring indigenous people and wildlife.

General Growth Properties Inc., the operator of the Glendale Galleria and the Burbank Town Center, reported on Monday that its first-quarter revenues were down from their already depressed levels of a year ago. The announcement came as the company worked to restructure its debt and emerge from bankruptcy protection. The Chicago-based firm’s revenues fell about 6.5%, to $761 million, compared with the first quarter of 2009. The tenant occupancy rate at its more than 200 regional malls slipped to 90.5%, down from 90.9% in the first three months of 2009, according to the company.

Americana at Brand developer Rick Caruso on Tuesday said he would be interested in using a new joint $750-million investment fund to buy the rival Glendale Galleria. Caruso, a billionaire who also developed the Grove in Los Angeles, announced the joint venture with global investment firm TPG Capital on Tuesday, saying it would be tapped to buy and transform distressed properties into retail and mixed-use destinations. Although Caruso plans to spread his new investments along the West Coast, he said he was specifically interested in adding to his 475,000 square feet of commercial and retail property in Glendale and to his other developments in the Los Angeles region.

A new take on the juried art gallery is showing no signs of slowing down, with the Local Collection ? owned and operated by the Glendale Galleria ? continuing to introduce regional artists and their works to one of the most high-traffic retail areas in the state. Local Collection is a retail consignment boutique featuring the work of 25 local and independent artists. Opened in November, the space sells jewelry, clothing, paintings and other works in a retail setting that few stand-alone galleries can generate.

DOWNTOWN ? Glendale Police officers were honored Saturday for creating a safe environment for shoppers at the Glendale Galleria. Sgt. Javier Ruiz and Capt. Lief Nicolaisen were given a letter of appreciation from mall executives for playing critical roles in helping control crime in the area and helping establish the Downtown Policing Unit at its new substation in the shopping center, said Janet LaFevre, senior marketing director for the Galleria. ?We have has a long relationship with the Glendale Police Department, which I think has been instrumental since the shopping center was built,?

CITY HALL — Two of the city’s largest shopping malls will be allowed to post billboard-sized ads on their exteriors after the City Council this week granted special zoning changes for the campaign. The City Council voted 4 to 1 Tuesday to approve the zoning exceptions requested by representatives from the Americana at Brand and Glendale Galleria who say they need the large signs to attract more shoppers during the protracted recession. “One of our goals is to get people from other cities to spend their time and their money here, and we think these signs will absolutely address this,” said Rick Lemmo, vice president of community relations for Caruso Affiliated.