South Coast Plaza has identified the upscale shoe boutique Christian Louboutin as the store that had an employee test positive for coronavirus.
The Costa Mesa mall made the brief announcement Tuesday, a day after the center closed for two weeks due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Joining hands with our retail leaders in doing all we can to stem the COVID-19 pandemic, we are temporarily closed and plan to reopen on March 31, 2020,” South Coast Plaza said on its Instagram page. “The individual who tested positive for COVID-19 was in the Christian Louboutin boutique.”
On Monday, a South Coast Plaza statement said of the store employee’s diagnosis, “although this is not the reason for the center’s closure, it reinforced the need for us to take action.” South Coast Plaza declined to comment further.
South Coast Plaza has identified the Christian Louboutin store as the one at which an employee tested positive for COVID-19. The mall closed the evening of Monday, March 16 as a measure of caution and to help prevent the spread of the virus. The store is seen in this file photo before it opened in fall of 2008. (File photo: Orange County Register)
South Coast Plaza has identified the Christian Louboutin store as the one at which an employee tested positive for COVID-19. The mall closed the evening of Monday, March 16 as a measure of caution and to help prevent the spread of the virus. (File photo: Orange County Register)
South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa lacks customers after a rise in COVID-19 cases on Monday, March 16, 2020. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
The parking lot of South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa is empty after a rise in COVID-19 cases on Monday, March 16, 2020. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa is void of customers after a rise in COVID-19 cases on Monday, March 16, 2020. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
An employee of Givenchy wears a face mask to protect him from exposure to COVID-19 at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa on Monday, March 16, 2020. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa is void of customers after a rise in COVID-19 cases on Monday, March 16, 2020. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa lacks customers after a rise in COVID-19 cases on Monday, March 16, 2020. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa is void of customers after a rise in COVID-19 cases on Monday, March 16, 2020. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
The carousel at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa is closed on Monday, March 16, 2020. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
A sign posted at the entrance of the Miu Miu store at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa on Monday, March 16, 2020. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
A sign posted at the entrance to Bloomingdale’s at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa announces its closure on Monday, March 16, 2020. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
A sign with the message, “we’re all in this together” hangs in the entrance of the Abercrombie and Fitch children’s store at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa on Monday, March 16, 2020. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
A sign with the hashtag, #togetherwearestronger, hangs in the entrance of the Golden Goose store at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa on Monday, March 16, 2020. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa is void of customers after a rise in COVID-19 cases on Monday, March 16, 2020. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
The entrance to Bloomingdale’s at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa is void of customers after a rise in COVID-19 cases on Monday, March 16, 2020. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
Louboutin has been at South Coast Plaza for 12 years, located on the mall’s third floor near Nordstrom. The boutique’s representatives did not immediately return requests for comment.
The designer shoes, with prices starting at $500, have been seen in TV hit series such as “Sex and the City” and “Breaking Bad.” The 57-year-old Louboutin is described by the company as a designer who “has taken the world by storm with his red-soled signature heels.”
The closure of South Coast Plaza is one of the highest-profile actions taken by retailers to date as the nation struggles to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Store closures or limited shopping hours have become an industry norm as the public has been advised (and in areas like the Bay Area mandated) to practice “social distancing” and keep a safe distance from other people.
The mall is a national leader in dollars spent thanks to its wide collection of luxury merchants such as Louboutin.
