Valentine's Day promotions, coupled with high visitor numbers for professional sporting events, spurred February gains, mall representatives said.
With the Hawaiian Open golf tournament and the National Football League's Pro Bowl in town, centers in tourist areas showed the biggest increases, compared with the year-ago period. But suburban malls also saw gains, according to data released by the centers. Here's a breakdown:
"Hotel occupancy increased and we had the Hawaiian Open, Pro Bowl and good weather in February," Wright said. "We also had quite a few visitors returning from Canada."
Strong categories were: specialty, up 52 percent; jewelry, up 46 percent; and apparel, 28 percent higher.
Ala Moana Center: February sales rose 19.2 percent, said Dwight Yoshimura, general manager.
"We had a strong Japanese visitor market and strong local residents' traffic, which was partly due to department store sales events," Yoshimura said.
Top gainers were: gifts, art and specialty, up 48.5 percent; and men's and women's wear, which rose 28.7 percent.
Kahala Mall: Sales were up 9 percent, said Susan Pinter, marketing director.
"We had an increase in the number of tourists, and a two-week promotion for Valentine's Day," Pinter said. "I think our merchants are getting more savvy on marketing and advertising."
Good performers were: specialty food, up 42 percent; services and recreation, up 31 percent; and shoes, up 21.5 percent.
Pearlridge Center: New marketing plans helped boost sales 7.3 percent, said Marty Lastner, general manager.
"We've been focusing on the local Oahu resident as our customer," Lastner said. "And it's working."
Gains were made in men's apparel, up 45.9 percent; specialty apparel, 27.3 percent higher; and jewelry, up 22.7 percent.
Windward Mall: February sales were up 3 percent, said spokeswoman Wright
"A lot of the increase was due to after-Christmas sales and our promotions for Valentine's Day and President's Day," Wright said. "We had local community music groups come in for the promotions."
Strong interest in Kids Sport, which opened last fall, boosted the recreation category 181 percent, Wright said.
Other top performers were: gifts, art and specialty, up 80 percent; and children's apparel, which rose 21 percent.