Retail

Santa is getting a sweet makeover this holiday season

'Santa Claus' at The Mall at Prince George's in Hyattsville, Maryland.
Ricky Carioti | The Washington Post | Getty Images

Your trip to visit Santa this holiday season is about to get candy-coated.

Candy giant IT'SUGAR has partnered with real estate investment trust General Growth Properties to create a sweet in-mall holiday experience, called Winter Escape.

In addition to photos with Santa, the 2,000-square-foot experience features a tree covered in lollipop leaves and sugar stems, candy clouds and arctic and woodland creatures made entirely out of Jelly Belly jelly beans. There's even a snowman made out of marshmallows.

"The IT'SUGAR Winter Escape is designed to appeal to a much wider audience than the traditional Santa experience," Tom Schneck, director of marketing services at GPP, told CNBC. "Of course, the photo opportunity with Santa is still center stage, but we've created an environment that offers more colorful and memorable photos as well as a built-in shopping experience."

A model of the Winter Escape mall experience.
Source: IT’SUGAR

Consumers are demanding more entertainment-focused experiences, said Deborah Flattery, vice president of kiosk leasing at GGP, so Winter Escape can tap into a new audience of teens and young adults who would typically ditch the outdated in-mall Santa station.

"Candy is one of the most frequently purchased gifts during the holidays, and this time of year is one of the busiest seasons for IT'SUGAR," Paul Bundonis, president of IT'SUGAR, told CNBC. "Candy is a one-size-fits-all gift that works for all giving occasions — whether it be for a stocking stuffer, hostess gift or your office Secret Santa — and it's the one thing nobody regifts."

A model of the Winter Escape mall experience.
Source: IT’SUGAR

IT'SUGAR's Winter Escape experience will be available at five GGP malls in Texas, Arizona, Florida and Delaware starting Wednesday. However, Santa won't arrive until early November.