Dead Malls of Canada

[ssiguy]

It will be very interesting to see what happens to all these big box stores and "power centres" in 20 or 30 years.

Many will think they are going no where but times are always changing. If you would have suggested to anyone in the 80s when malls were being built and expanded at a dizzying rate, that within 30 years most of them would have died you would have been committed. Even people who hated the malls would never have even imagined such a thing.

McDonald's restaurants sales per store are down dramatically all over NA. WalMart has closed dozens of relatively new smaller centres in the Southern US of all places and is closing most of it's Japanese and Braazilian stores Macy's & Norstrom's are closing stores across the US as is American Apparel to say nothing of Sears.

Also remember that most "power centres" rely on discretionary spending...........in other words, younger shoppers. The older people get the less likely they are to be concerned about the latest fashion, getting a new designer kitchen every 3 years, or tech gadget which is these big box stores bread & butter.

They are built in the outer areas where younger families tend to be just like the malls in the 80s. Well now those younger families around the malls in the 80s are retired and have no kids at home and hence the malls are dying. This is why malls have died in these area with the notable exception of their food stores, pharmacies, and other primary stores that people need for day to day living.

Well in 30 years all the housing around today's power centres with younger families and spoiled kids will be home to the newest crop of retirees and those stores offering every last tech gadget, newest kitchen attire, latest fashions, and "must have" bedroom linens will have no customers.

This is aided by the fact that more people are doing their shopping on-line and downtowns are seeing an incredible resurgence and by younger people who are appalled by their suburban upbringing.

Big box stores may seem like they are hear forever but they are just the newest take on the 80s malls and they too will see their death and it will be interesting to see what {if anything} takes their place.