Malls updating for the 21st century
Sure, malls are slowly becoming a thing of the past, but those that want to remain healthy in this day and age are having to make some changes. This was a pretty interesting article I read today. Sounds like Heritage Park and Crossroads both need to brighten things up a little if they expect to remain vibrant. They both need to say goodbye to the dark flooring and drab appearance, and brighten up the floors, update the railings, and improve the overall shopping experience. Of course, there's a better chance of this happening with Crossroads
than Heritage Park. Heritage Park is currently for sale, and has beenf or sometime, so I doubt Simon Property group is interested in improving the mall.
Crossroads does have potential though, and Macerich property group could do more to help themselves, instead of blaming it in off the wall problems. First they blamed Crossroads' problems to I-35 construction. Now they're blaming them on a lack of an anchor. Until they completely renovate the mall like Quail Springs and Penn Square did, they can forget about competiting in today's competitive mall market.
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Marketing the mall: Metro malls change with the times, and the customer, to survive
Posted: Monday, October 25, 2004
Marketing the mall: Metro malls change with the times, and the customer, to survive
By Ja’Rena Smith
jsmith@okcbusiness.com
Long gone are the days of dark brown tile, sleepy lounge music and massive greenery that once ruled the atmosphere of American malls. From the earth-tone decor of the early Seventies and Eighties to the sunny atriums of the Nineties, malls everywhere are jumping on the makeover bandwagon as they strive to meet customer wants.
Lynn Palmerton, general manager for Sooner Mall in Norman, said that although the decor of malls once reflected the design of the times in which they were created, most of the mega centers are coming into the 21st century.
“Now the trend is for a much lighter and brighter atmosphere,” Palmerton said. “You’ll see with the newer malls around the country that they are incorporating lighter color schemes. This is a real transformation.”
But the new face of malls does not come with a paintbrush alone.
John Bucksbaum, CEO for General Growth Properties, said the degree of competition among malls has increased the importance of better facilities and amenities.
“A great deal of malls did not have anything done to them between 1970 and 1990,” Bucksbaum said. “Good owners have come to the understanding that you must keep the mall interesting.”
General Growth Properties is a real estate investment company that manages more than 170 regional malls, including Sooner Mall and Quail Springs Mall.
Bucksbaum said the biggest change malls have made is the emphasis on the quality of services, and with this emphasis comes renovations.
Bucksbaum said that General Growth spent nearly $300 million on renovations in the last year. He said renovations are critical in order to keep malls vibrant for consumers and retailers.
“If you don’t have what the customers want, then you are not going go be successful,” he said.
Through exit surveys and open communication with consumers, many mall managers are finding that what people want is entertainment.
“The entertainment aspect is a big part of what’s happening at malls right now,” Palmerton said. “A lot of people like to use the term ‘shoppertainment.’”
From carousels to ice skating rinks to movie theaters, the lengths to which malls are going to keep customers entertained seems never-ending.
“We really want to provide the shopper in the community with the total experience,” said Stacey Aldridge, senior marketing manager for Quail Springs Mall.
In 1998, Quail Springs added a 24-screen movie theater. The same year, the mall also renovated the food court, more than doubling its seating capacity.
Entertainment is not the only change on malls’ radar screens. Before many consumers attempt to find entertainment, many look for what they expect to find in their own homes -- comfort.
“If people are spending a whole day shopping, they would like a comfortable place to sit,” Aldridge said.
Hence the creation of the padded-seat areas. Known as “Comfort Zones” at Sooner Mall, these areas provide a place for customers to take a break from their shopping without having to leave the mall.
Jeannette Smith, director of mall marketing at Penn Square Mall, said the idea of a resting area was unheard of in the early days of malls.
“When malls first opened, there would not be a bench in sight,” Smith said. “The idea was to keep people moving, but we are now realizing that customers need a break.”
Even services such as restrooms have changed, as most malls have added “family” restrooms and made the facilities more visible.
“The amenities are a big change, first and foremost with the restrooms,” Palmerton said. “In the past, restrooms were hidden down a corridor or behind stores. You kind of had to walk down a long corridor to find them.
“Now they’re much more family oriented.”
But amenities and entertainment alone cannot predict the success of a mall, as was the case with Crossroads Mall.
Christi Parks, senior marketing manager for Crossroads, said the shopping center had its largest challenge in March 2001 with the loss of the Montgomery Ward.
“Malls ride the wave with the success of department stores, and with the failure of a department store, like Montgomery Ward, it can be very hurtful,” Parks said.
Crossroads’ Montgomery Ward was once the strongest Ward in the state, but when the company went bankrupt in December 2000, the chain weakened and left the metro market.
The area that Montgomery Ward occupied in Crossroads has remained vacant since its departure. Parks said the absence of an anchor retail store has decreased the amount of traffic in that area of the mall.
Parks said that although the loss has created a downside, Crossroads expects to see happier times, especially since they have plans in the works for a new department store.
“We are a shopping tradition,” Parks said. “The perception of Crossroads has struggled, something we have struggled to overcome, but we are not going anywhere.”
Although Parks would not say what retailer would be coming to Crossroads, she did say the store would be new to the Oklahoma market, an aspect that is important to many malls.
Penn Square’s Smith said her mall’s strategy has always been to stay on the forefront of the city by bringing in merchants who are new to the area.
One of the biggest ways malls are staying on the forefront is by tapping into the teen market. General Growth Properties named teens as the second most important market, after the 25 to 45-year-old woman.
The prevalence of Abercrombie & Fitch and Gap stores is evidence that retailers and mall managers have taken notice of the new, younger face of shoppers.
“We, as a company, have always been very supportive of teens,” Bucksbaum said. “They have tremendous buying power and become the future buyers.”
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Originally Posted by Patrick
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