Just over a month after The Oaks shopping center in Thousand Oaks unveiled its 103,000-square-foot expansion, the mall will have to face one of the most challenging holiday shopping seasons in recent years.

Sixty-one percent of those polled last month in GfK Roper Consulting’s Holiday Shopping study said their holiday shopping plans will be delayed due to the current economic and political situation.

“We are doing whatever we can to bring shoppers through our doors, so they’ll be one step closer to our retailers,” said Traci Weber, senior vice president of marketing for Macerich, which owns and operates The Oaks and other tri-county shopping centers.

“Throughout the holiday season, we are laser-focused on leveraging advertising, promotions and public relations to drive traffic. Nearly two-thirds of our media buying is done during the fourth quarter, and we ramp up all our marketing efforts to support retailers when they need it most.”

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