This is an episode of the Glossy Fashion Podcast, which features candid conversations about how today’s trends are shaping the future of the fashion industry. More from the series →
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On the Glossy Podcast, hosts senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi, international reporter Zofia Zwieglinska and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.
This week, Danny and Jill are joined by Mitchell Parton, a reporter at Glossy’s sister publication, Modern Retail, to discuss the state of the American shopping mall. Holiday retail data showed that mall foot traffic was up this past holiday season, and supporting data suggests that the mall is more resilient than ever.
But that doesn’t mean malls are the same as they were in years past. We dig into the new class of flourishing mall brands and the ones that aren’t doing so well, along with why the former is succeeding. We also talk about the surprising affection for malls among Gen Z customers.
Below are a few highlights from our conversation, lightly edited for length and clarity, about how to make it in a mall today.
Parisi: “Like a lot of parts of the economy right now, there’s a lot of bifurcation happening. There are malls where there are more vacancies every day, where brands are closing up shop. And then there are malls that are having record attendance on Black Friday. Sometimes, it’s the same brands succeeding in one mall and leaving another. Retail analysts often split these up into low-tier and high-tier malls, and it’s a good reminder that the location you choose to be in is important.”
Manoff: “These malls want to be successful, and you see them bringing in these hot TikTok brands. West Country Center [in Missouri] just opened a Pop Mart. But I was thinking, hasn’t that ship sailed? Is Labubu still popular? The trends move so fast.”
Parisi: “Some of the classic mall brands, like Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister, are flourishing. And a new crop of mall brands is popping up in malls, as well: Princess Polly, Primark. Another TikTok famous brand, Edikted, doubled its store footprint last year, opening all in malls. Gen Z is loving going to the mall, and the brands that are popular with them are flourishing.”
Parton: “What you often see is things that are really experiential. Netflix House just opened here in Dallas and is opening soon in other malls. It’s taking over former department stores and hosting these elaborate experiences based on Netflix shows like “Stranger Things.” They have a restaurant, they have a shop, as well. They really see the mall ecosystem as important to them, and those kinds of things are a draw to the mall.”
Manoff: “I think we’re going to see a lot more experiential things like that. Dick’s Sporting Goods has been popping up these Dick’s House of Sport stores all over the place. They have climbing walls, batting cages, skating rinks, all sorts of things.”
Parisi: “And those House of Sport stores are bringing in over $35 million annually, so no doubt Dick’s will be opening more of them.”
