Puyallup's two-decade-old South Hill Mall will begin a nine-month-long renovation process next Thursday that will bring the mall into the 21st century.

Mall officials, architects, builders and Puyallup city officials are expected to attend the formal start of the renovation in mall's Macy's court.

The renovation will include new floor and ceiling treatments, skylights, new entrances, updated signs, soft seating and a new food court design. The food court will include a stone fireplace and perimeter skylights.

The renovation will be done at night when the mall is closed, said Joe Bell, director of corporate communications for Cafaro, the mall’s Ohio-based owner.

“What we envision is a much higher level of service and comfort for our customers,” said Anthony Cafaro Jr., vice president of Cafaro.

The project will include new features that should cut the mall’s energy bills and lessen its so-called “carbon footprint.” Those energy improvements include power-saving lights in the parking lots that provide more illumination while using less electricity.

The company said the renovation will cost between $5 million and $12 million depending on the bids and what options the owner decides to include.

One of the mall's anchor tenants, JCPenney, has already begun its own remodeling process. The department store moved part of its store into the former Mervyn's store last month. It plans to renovate its existing store over the next two months.

When the Penney's remodeling is done in May, the chain will have two stores in the mall.

The Environmental Protection Agency this week named Seattle as the nation's tenth most energy efficient metro area.

The federal agency's rating was based on a nationwide survey to so-called "green" buildings.

Los Angeles was at the top of the list followed by San Francisco, Houston and Washington, D.C.

In fifth place was Dallas, followed by Chicago. Ranking seventh was Denver, then Minneapolis-St. Pual and Atlanta.

Seattle finished out the top ten.

Boeing landed three orders this week for its 777 twin jet.

One of those orders came from Air New Zealand, while the remaining two came from undisclosed customers.

The new orders leave Boeing with a net loss of 10 orders for this year. The company has seen 32 orders disappear this year for its much-delayed 787 Dreamliner.

The company has logged 19 orders for its 737 narrow aisle jet and three for the 777 this year.

Airlines, hit hard by declining traffic have been reluctant to order new aircraft this year. Meanwhile some customers are cancelling 787 orders because the plane is nearly two year late in its development.

Attention Tacoma Mall shoppers!

The world is changing. It now includes crystals and a larger selection of shoes, and will soon comprise retailers of more shoes and accessories as well as children’s clothes.

Last Friday, the Mall welcomed Swarovski, a store selling all sorts of crystals.

Already, the Lady Footlocker store – home to athletic shoes, casual shoes and sports accessories for women – has opened at the location of the former Tux Shop.

And coming soon are two more stores.

For those in the market for more shoes, there’s Aldo, an international favorite featuring footwear and accessories fit for women and men. Look for an opening in May.

For the kids, come June, there’s Gymboree, a clothing store offering outfits, sleepwear, swimwear, tops, bottoms, sweaters and other fashions for kids from babies on up.

The business team will be out at the Mall today checking on Swavorski, and we'll have a report in tomorrow's paper.