An Analysis of Southdale Center

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Alejandro Loza ARCH 5435

Shopping Malls in the 21st Century: An Analysis of Southdale Center and the Future of the Mall

The traditional shopping mall as it exists today has increasingly become a relic of the past. Physical brick-and-mortar business has been on a steady decline as onlinebased retailing has established itself as the new norm. With as many as a quarter of all existing malls predicted to close within the next decade, the shopping mall is in serious danger of becoming irrelevant and obsolete, as changing economic conditions and consumer habits turn away from the conventional shopping experience.1 This is a reality that all shopping centers face, even those that were pioneers of the shopping experience in their heydays. What has led to this seismic change in the retail landscape? What are malls doing today in order to stay relevant and compete with the digital realm? And what may the future hold for existing shopping centers?

To understand the decline of the shopping mall and brick-and-mortar businesses in general, it is important to recognize how dramatically the retail landscape has shifted just in the past few years alone. Since 2017, a number of well-known established brands have had to reduce their operations, restructure their business models, file for bankruptcy, or completely shut down altogether. This includes such legacy brands like Toys ‘R’ Us, Herberger’s, Payless Shoes, Radioshack, and the ongoing protracted death of Sears. The successive collapse of retailers both big and small has led to what many have dubbed ‘the retail apocalypse’.2

1

Malls Are Doomed: 25% Will Be Gone in 5 Years. CNNMoney. Cable News Network, June 2, 2017. https://money.cnn.com/2017/06/02/news/economy/doomed-malls/index.html. 2 Here's A List Of 81 Bankruptcies In The Retail Apocalypse And Why They Failed. CB Insights Research, December 11, 2019. https://www.cbinsights.com/research/retail-apocalypse-timeline-infographic/.


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