The Daily Mall Reader: Malls Marketing For The Net

A daily dose of mall-related reading...

"How The Net Is Remaking The Mall'"
To lure Web-savvy shoppers, retailers are turning to "lifestyle centers"

BusinessWeek - May 9, 2005

(Excerpt) The landscape of America is the store. Drive anywhere, and you will see mile after mile of mammoth malls, big-box retailers, and local supermarkets. There are more than 1.1 million retail establishments across the country, an average of one every three square miles.

Now this sprawling tapestry of retail space is being rapidly rewoven. In 2004 developers poured $18 billion into new and renovated enclosed malls, open-air shopping centers, and warehouse stores, up 17% from the previous year. So far, 2005 is ahead of that pace, in part as a response to the continued strength of consumer demand.

But there's something new going on as well: Bricks-and-mortar retailing is furiously recasting itself to compete in the world of the Internet.

Read the full article here.

The Daily Mall Reader: Joliet Mall Makeover

A daily dose of mall-related reading...

"Joliet Mall Overhaul In Works"
'Lifestyle centers' may be the trend, but Westfield has plans to stay competitive

The Herald News - March 13, 2007

(Excerpt) JOLIET -- Lifestyle malls, with their fancy architecture and enticing boutiques, may be trying to woo shoppers away from the boxy, old malls, but not everyone is willing to lose business to the latest retail mistress.

Westfield Group, the Los Angeles-based company that owns Westfield Louis Joliet, is planning not only to update the interior of the 29-year-old building but also to construct a new shopping plaza and movie theater.

"New elements, new life, new energy," is how Catharine Dickey, a Westfield spokeswoman, described the plan.

Read the full article here.

The Daily Mall Reader: Shoppers turn to town centers

A daily dose of mall-related reading...

Shoppers turn to town centers

USA TODAY - 1/31/2007

(Excerpt) HINGHAM, Mass. — Carolyn Kennedy wants to add a bocce court to the "lifestyle" shopping center she runs in this Boston suburb. The guys who sit smiling on the benches at the outdoor mall could use something else to do.

It's a problem a lot of malls would like to have. Women outnumber male shoppers by about 2-to-1, and men spend an average of 10 minutes less per mall visit. Because browsers spend 15% more than so-called destination shoppers, stores do everything they can to keep shoppers around.

Town centers such as the Derby Street Shoppes here are the latest answer. Because all stores can be entered from the parking lots, these topless malls satisfy busy shoppers' desire to run in and out.

Read the full article here.