Resurrecting the Mall

RECENTLY, I WAS spending an afternoon with a good friend of mine and her Gen Z-aged daughter. Seventeen-year-olds arguably say some “edgy” things from time to time, but I was especially shocked when, after making plans to stop by the nearby local mall, she said, “I really hate what’s happened to malls.” Wait … what?

I think most folks would agree the heyday of malls was primarily experienced by boomers, Gen X and millennials – arguably, Gen Z and Gen Alpha came onto the scene after malls began to experience an overall decline. To hear someone so young (a high schooler!) express their disdain over the current state of malls was honestly refreshing, albeit unusual, to hear.

In fact, a recent study conducted by IPX 1031 (Chicago) found that 66 percent of its Gen Z respondents said they wanted malls to retain a presence in the marketplace. A whopping 61 percent of all respondents agreed they would like to see malls undergo a revival.

Though all malls have experienced many ups and downs, one that’s certainly not “dead” is the famed Mall of America in Minneapolis. One of three options this year, the Mall of America will be part of the International Retail Design Conference’s (IRDC) offsite tours Oct. 25. This exclusive tour, available to retail/visual merchandising and design attendees only, will include a behind-the-scenes look at Mall of America and its innerworkings. Additionally, we’re planning offsite tours of the North Loop neighborhood as well as Target’s Nicollet Street flagship. (Space is limited, so sign up soon!)

In other IRDC news, we’re so excited to announce Lizzie Velasquez as our opening keynote speaker. Lizzie is a motivational speaker, author and influencer who, after being the target of online bullying, shares her story of overcoming adversity with the world at large. We’re so excited to bring you such a motivational presentation that may change the way you look at the world – and yourself.

This July/August issue also includes the winners of VMSD’s 30th annual International Visual Competition. This contest features projects of limited shelf-life completed in 2022 from pop-ups to window displays to apparel presentations. Be sure to check out our winners here.

All of our competition winners, including those from our Retail Renovation Competition, to be featured in our September/October issue, will be honored during IRDC at the Marriott City Center in Minneapolis – just another reason to mark your calendars for Oct. 25-26. Registration is now open so visit irdconline.com to learn more.

See you this October!