The future of shopping malls

[disneysteve]

re-purpose them for office space, call centers, churches, etc.

I read an article a while ago that said some malls have had success in eschewing the retail scene altogether. Some have converted to massive data centers, filled with server racks and hard drives. They add super-fast internet connectivity, then lease out their data storage & routing capacity to companies like Google, Microsoft, and (ironically enough) Amazon. Others have turned their retail spaces into office space or call centers.

This is exactly the sort of thing I was thinking about. Re-purposing the space. Rather than building a brand new office building, move your company into that vacant Macy's store. Easy access. Ample parking. Loads of space. And getting a couple hundred workers into that location just might help keep the food court and some of the retail shops in business. Turn the mall into a mixed use operation.

[phantom]

The only ones doing well are the ones that have products that can't easily be ordered online and shipped to you. Grocery chains and home improvement stores come to mind. It's hard to ship eggs or sheets of drywall.

We've been buying a lot of supplies for a big construction project over the past few months. While our contractor handled the drywall and lumber, we've been buying most of the stuff where looks matter, and I we've spent almost as much online as we have in home improvement stores. We found a fireplace we liked in a local store specializing in fireplaces, then found we could get the same model much more cheaply and quickly from a web site specializing in fireplaces. They would also deliver it to our house rather than expect us to pick it up. We also found a vanity we liked on Home Depot's web site and found we could get that slightly more cheaply and quickly from Amazon.

I felt a little guilty about the fireplace since the sales person was very helpful in helping us figure out what we wanted, and if people like us keep using his store as just a showroom, it may soon be gone. But, I wasn't about to pay an extra $500 just to thank him for spending 15 minutes with us.

[TexasHusker]

This is exactly the sort of thing I was thinking about. Re-purposing the space. Rather than building a brand new office building, move your company into that vacant Macy's store. Easy access. Ample parking. Loads of space. And getting a couple hundred workers into that location just might help keep the food court and some of the retail shops in business. Turn the mall into a mixed use operation.

Won't be enough to keep most retail shops in business. Maybe a coffee shop.

[rennigade]

Rumor has it that the owner of our depressed mall is trying to get all stores to close so they can bulldoze it and build a casino. Another thing I simply do not understand. Sitting in one spot for 2 hours pulling a level or now just pressing a button. More fun than a barrel of monkeys.

[disneysteve]

Won't be enough to keep most retail shops in business. Maybe a coffee shop.

Definitely not all but certainly some of them. There are plenty of office buildings where the first floor is retail and dining and the offices are on the upper floors. This would be somewhat similar all under one roof. Take a 2-story mall and convert the 2nd floor to offices while keeping the 1st floor for shops and restaurants.

[bigdaddybus]

I just heard today that the closed Macy's store at my local failing shopping mall is being converted to a Dave and Busters!

[Mjenn]

It is strange, but we have the opposite problem here, probably because we don't have access to Amazon Prime.

Our city center is a small, medieval cobble stone beautiful place to visit. But it is hard to drive in, parking is scarce and expensive, and when weather is bad it is really unpleasant to walk around.

The mall is easy to drive to, has free parking, and heating in the winter. Several shops have tried to move from the mall into the center of town because it is nicer, but have lost so much business they were forced to move back.

Internet purchases are getting more popular, but expensive return policies and shipping have kept a lot of clothing and shoes purchases in stores.

To be honest, I would prefer having access to Amazon Prime.

Recently I was at on a work trip and the hotel was in a mall. It was Christmas time and cold and wintery. I could easily pick up xmas gifts for the family and bring them home. It was really nice for a business trip, though I wouldn't want to go there for a holiday.

[disneysteve]

The mall is easy to drive to, has free parking, and heating in the winter.

Exactly. It seems to have all of the qualities that would make it a desirable location for a business looking for a new location.

Recently I was at on a work trip and the hotel was in a mall.

I've been to a number of malls over the years that were attached to hotels. In at least one that I recall in Indianapolis, the first couple of floors are the mall and the upper floors are the hotel. It's a great set up.

[SavvyShopper24]

the future is not shopping malls

Personally I think the days of shopping malls are over. The fact is you will spend more time and money than you want to at any trip to a mall. Online shopping is the future and with sites that bring all the best deals into one place such as Salescache then it's only natural for them to become phased out.

[Singuy]

I think malls are not completely dead. I think it needs to be revamped.

Synergizes vastly different stores and have them build on top of each other.

They need to see that every store, or most stores need to bring in foot traffic or else they are not allowed in.

The Apple store for instance, is always packed full of people in there for warranty work or to try out new toys. This single store brings a bunch of foot traffic in. You need a bunch of these type of stores in the mall in order for the lesser shops to survive. The Bose store is almost dead weight since it drives in no one. The Microsoft store is decent...perhaps they should put an Ikea inside a mall.

[snafu]

About a decade ago, our oldest mall got a huge facelift. Anchor Sears, closed their service stn at the far end and were surprised to see a trio of high rise condos used the land incorporating the existing light rail train station in the design. The 2008 slam didn't deter millennial's or 'empty nesters' from a buying these small sf condos. The centre is thriving having changed the mix, added mid priced chain type restaurants. [anchor Sears will close shortly]

I'm aware of three mid sized malls that have added huge condo developments successfully as they have particularly convenient public transportation and parking here is extremely expensive.

This summer we were notified that the strip mall and medical centre adjacent to our condo complex has been sold. A trio of high rise, mid priced condos will be built at the far end of the lot. We get a much larger grocery [anchor chain store] and a different mix of shops to be announced. Our medical centre has expanded twice and I suspect it will get bigger as the new hospital hasn't been funded as expected.