Mall Owners Push out department stores

[bing101]

http://www.wsj.com/articles/mall-owners-push-out-department-stores-1468202754

Interesting concept.

[jeffandnicole]

For some reason, when you posted the article, I was met with a 'subscription needed' option.  When I highlighted the article's title, put it into Google and clicked the link, I could view the whole thing.

Anyway, yeah I can understand some of this thinking.  Large department stores have consolidated, and when they go out of business it can suddenly leave a huge void.   But if the mall can push them out on their terms, they can better plan for the future with a grand remodeling of the entire mall.

My local malls has been relatively lucky, in that they are running at nearly full occupancy and haven't been hit with large department store closings.  And we are fairly close to the King of Prussia Mall, which is the largest mall in America in terms of number of stores.  The Mall of American usually was known as the largest mall, but that's due to them filling the space with an amusement park!

[GCrites]

I think it's interesting that people think grocery stores in malls is a new idea. Up until 1980 or so, many, many malls had groceries in them. If you were in Huntington, WV, Ashland, KY or Cincinnati you were used to seeing Phar-Mor, Bigg's, or Wal-Mart in the mall into the 2000s.

[Jardine]

Westroads in Omaha (then as now, largest mall in town) had a Hinky Dinky grocery store back in the day.

Mall of the Bluffs has a Hy Vee in the parking lot today, the mall is failing fast, but that graocery store is doing fine.

LOL, I can remember when Machesney (north of Rockford Ill) had an office in the main mall for a car dealership.  I think the original Blues Brothers movie used a mall with a car dealership inside.  Don't recall if it had a grocery store too . . .

[GCrites]

I remember DeSoto Mall in Bradenton, FL rented an inline space to a car dealer in the '80s. They kept two cars in it and it was staffed with a couple salespeople. I'm pretty sure you had to go to the main dealership to actually buy the car.

Here in Columbus, a late '80s mall (Scarborough Mall later Brice Outlet Mall) has recently been turned into Lindsay Honda.

[jeffandnicole]

I think it's interesting that people think grocery stores in malls is a new idea. Up until 1980 or so, many, many malls had groceries in them. If you were in Huntington, WV, Ashland, KY or Cincinnati you were used to seeing Phar-Mor, Bigg's, or Wal-Mart in the mall into the 2000s.

The Christiana Mall in Delaware, which is a very strong performing mid-to-high end mall helped by Delaware's lack of a sales tax, recently added a Target, which features a supermarket with the exception of anything that needs to be weighed.  Fruit & veges are sold by the item or prepackaged, and you won't find fresh meat and such.  But otherwise it's as close to a supermarket within a mall that I've seen...ever, really!

[GCrites]

What is the logic behind the lack of bulk produce?

[oscar]

I remember DeSoto Mall in Bradenton, FL rented an inline space to a car dealer in the '80s. They kept two cars in it and it was staffed with a couple salespeople. I'm pretty sure you had to go to the main dealership to actually buy the car.

When I first visited the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta in 1994, it had small car dealer showrooms inside. It also had duplicate department stores in different parts of the mall, the result of department store chain mergers and the companies' inability to find better uses for their excess space.

Now the car dealers and duplicate department stores are gone (just one of each department store remains), and the mall is a much livelier place than it was two decades ago.

[Roadrunner75]

I think the original Blues Brothers movie used a mall with a car dealership inside.  Don't recall if it had a grocery store too . . .

New Oldsmobiles are in early this year....
...and yes - the mall had a Jewel grocery store:

[Brandon]

I think the original Blues Brothers movie used a mall with a car dealership inside.  Don't recall if it had a grocery store too . . .

New Oldsmobiles are in early this year....
...and yes - the mall had a Jewel grocery store:

The dealer (like the Toys R Us) was added for the film.  The Jewel was off to the side, accessible only from the outside.  The Jewel in the movie is actually the JCPenney mall entrance.

Dixie Square: http://mall-hall-of-fame.blogspot.com/search/label/Chicago%20Malls?updated-max=2010-03-15T10:42:00-05:00&max-results=20&start=20&by-date=false
Scroll down to the mall.