The Pandemic Will Change American Retail Forever

[genxlib]

2. Interesting point here about the overbuild in retail space

While the internet has done some significant damage to the industry, I don't ever see much ink spent on what the industry does to itself.

Much is written about the demise of the mall but they never seem to note the shiny new mall across town. In my lifetime, there have been several evolutions of the retail mall. It started as an outdoor promenade before the revolution of an enclosed air conditioned space. Then that boring linear space became a lively entertainment complex that blended restaurants and bars into the mix. Now they have devolved back into outdoor promenades that mimic neighborhoods.

In my experience, every dead underutilized mall can be followed directly to a newer more exciting option that is attracting patrons and stores. In some cases, the retailers don't make the shift and die in the husk of the old mall. Some newer retailers have done OK in the newer real estate.

The story of real estate development is a big part of this. Seeing it entirely as an e-commerce problem doesn't really tell the entire story