Malls in Tug of War Over Department Store : Retailing: A move by Robinsons-May from the Esplanade to Buenaventura Plaza would have major sales tax implications for two cities.

The possible relocation of a Robinsons-May department store from Oxnard to the soon-to-be expanded Buenaventura Plaza has Ventura officials ecstatic and Oxnard officials pondering ways to keep the store from bailing out.

The anticipated move would make the Buenaventura Plaza one of the largest retail shopping centers in Ventura County in size and department store space. It would leave Sears as the only department store at Oxnard’s smaller Esplanade Mall, possibly crippling other businesses and hurting the city’s tax base.

The move also would help give Ventura a revenue boost. Figures for specific stores were not available, but the total expansion project could nearly double the $1.1 million in annual sales tax revenue generated by the mall. Oxnard generates nearly $625,000 from the Esplanade, according to city figures.

Lori Gatto, vice president for MaceRich Co. of Santa Monica, which owns the Buenaventura Plaza, confirmed reports that Robinsons-May is negotiating with her company to move from Oxnard to Buenaventura, but said no deal has been made.

Jim Abrams, vice president for corporate communications for Robinsons-May in St. Louis, said both sides have been negotiating for months but he remained tight-lipped on when a decision would be made.

Ventura officials said MaceRich had been expected to release the names of the proposed department stores more than a month ago, but delayed the announcement as negotiations continued.

“It could help us immensely,” Councilman Jack Tingstrom said, who is chairman of the council’s finance committee. “I would welcome the move with open arms.”

Councilman Gary Tuttle said the move to Ventura would be “a wise move for Robinsons-May,” and he faulted Oxnard officials for neglecting the store while luring Wal-Mart, Price Club and other retailers to the city.

“They’ve made Oxnard an unfriendly place if you’re a small business or large department store owner like Robinsons-May.”

Meanwhile, Steve Kinney, director of economic development for Oxnard, said he and several city officials plan to meet with the Esplanade’s managers today to discuss how to persuade the store to stay.

“From Oxnard’s point of view, it’s a big problem,” said Kinney, who will meet with officials from Donahue Schriber, a Newport Beach company. “As a city, we have to see what we can do to persuade the company to stay where they are.”

Stephen Maulhardt, former president of the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce, said a high-level contact at Robinsons-May told him the company has already made its decision to pull out.

“If they don’t find a replacement for Robinsons, that shopping center could die,” Maulhardt said.

Robinsons-May is committed to its 180,000 square feet of store space at the Esplanade through 1996, but could move before then, Kinney said.

“I’m sure it would have a major impact on the city,” said Oxnard Councilman Bedford Pinkard. “It would also be a major blow to the Esplanade.”

The Buenaventura Mall currently has 92 shops, compared to 81 at the Esplanade. Kinney said he has heard that Robinsons-May wanted to be closer to more department stores because such proximity increases sales.

The Buenaventura expansion plan includes doubling the Buenaventura’s size, increasing its department stores from two to five, adding a second level of stores and building a two-level parking garage. The mall currently has two department stores--JC Penney and Broadway--and is hoping to entice Montgomery Ward and another unnamed store.

The proposed expansion would push aside The Oaks shopping center in Thousand Oaks as the single-largest mall in the county.

Gatto said her company plans to start the Buenaventura expansion this year and hopes to finish in 1995. She did not have a cost estimate of construction.

Bill Kenney, senior vice president of Donahue Schriber, said a Robinsons-May move would not necessarily be bad for the Esplanade.

“It depends on the current status of the shopping center,” he said. “It depends on what’s done with the space and the status of the department store when it left.”

The Robinsons-May chain was created in January with the merger of May Co. and Robinson’s, both Los Angeles-based companies.

Guy Wysinger, president of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce, said Robinsons-May would be a great addition to the mall but would not be a panacea for the city.

“The development of the mall is does not answer all the city’s problems,” Wysinger said. “Some people think that making the mall bigger will solve our problems. We also have to do something with our downtown.”