Economy

Decline Rewritten: The Changing Face of American Shopping Malls

From 2021 through 2025, mall openings exceeded mall closures, a recent report shows.
Decline Rewritten: The Changing Face of American Shopping Malls
A sign at the Mall of America is pictured in Bloomington, Minn., on Feb. 2, 2006. Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images
Panos Mourdoukoutas
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Shopping malls, long an economic and cultural fixture of American life, are facing sustained pressure but are not disappearing altogether.

Instead, the sector is undergoing creative destruction, as traditional mall formats give way to new concepts that reflect shifting consumer behavior and market conditions, according to recent industry data.

Panos Mourdoukoutas
Panos Mourdoukoutas
Author
Panos Mourdoukoutas is a professor of economics at Long Island University in New York City. He also teaches security analysis at Columbia University. He’s been published in professional journals and magazines, including Forbes, Investopedia, Barron's, IBT, and Journal of Financial Research. He’s also the author of many books, including “Business Strategy in a Semiglobal Economy” and “China's Challenge.”