Bustling EMPIRE

Judging

By Rob Swenson

by The Empire Mall in Sioux Falls, S.D., reports of malls’ death have been greatly exaggerated

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The biggest problem facing The Empire Mall in recent months hasn’t been the digital revolution or economic conditions. It’s construction. Work on streets near the biggest shopping center in the region has inconvenienced thousands of mall customers and employees.

“Road construction is the only thing that is hurting us right now,” said Kirsten Schaffer, director of marketing and business development for The Empire. “When I can say that’s our biggest concern, I think we’re really doing well.”

A lot of shopping malls in the United States have struggled in recent years. The Empire, which opened in 1975, is largely an exception. The Empire is not immune from store closings, but openings typically follow bankruptcies or mass closings by national retailers. Some stores in The Empire campus have even survived mass closings.

Typically, vacancies in The Empire get filled quickly. The mall does not release its occupancy rate, but Schaffer said all of the retail space in the mall is under contract.

With more than 1 million square feet of enclosed space, The Empire promotes itself as the largest one-story shopping mall in the United States. It is anchored by Macy’s, Younkers, JC Penney, Sears and Dick’s Sporting Goods, and it houses about 140 other businesses.

Three stores in the mall lead their national chains in sales, Schaffer said. She declined to identify them, saying it’s up to individual businesses to decide whether to disclose their sales. However, she said that two of the stores are affiliated with companies with more than 1,000 outlets, and the other one is from a company with more than 500 outlets.