As shoppers scramble to their nearest mall to get the best Black Friday deals, they will rush past a number of shuttered storefronts along the way.
The conventional shopping mall has seen better days and closures of anchor stores like Sears has many retailers worried time is running out.
“Foot traffic is half,” Nick Hudda, who owns the Watch Gallery in Brentwood Mall in Burnaby said. “People get nervous, like what will happen down the road.”
Even on Black Friday, door crashers simply can’t compete with surging online sales.
“That reduces the amount of traffic,” David Ian Gray, a retail consultant with DIG360 told Global News. “That makes it a little bit more of a challenge for the mall to attract tenants.”
In a bid for survival, shopping mall owners have decided not to just think outside the box but build on top of it. A need for increased density throughout Metro Vancouver is being seen as a possible solution for increased retail stability.
“It was the perfect timing…urban density in Metro Vancouver it’s accepted. And it’s actually gone from being accepted to being the desired,” Darren Kwiatkowski, Shape Properties’ vice-president of development said.
Shape Properties is in the middle of a major redevelopment of Brentwood Mall. The project called “The Amazing Brentwood” will feature 1.1 million square feet of retail space nestled below 4.5 million square feet of residential. The multiple towers will house more than 10,000 potential shoppers.
“It’s huge because they’re capturing a significant amount of those residents’ spending,” Kwiatkowski said.
Similar projects are popping up all over Metro Vancouver including Oakridge in Vancouver and Lougheed Town Centre in Burnaby.
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“It’s a great way to unlock the value of the real estate, also if you have retail still there you’ve got a captive market,” Gray said.
Building up isn’t the only way shopping malls are evolving. Others are looking to an older Canadian success story to bring in more foot traffic.
For more than three decades, West Edmonton Mall has been a global pioneer in blending attractions and entertainment into the shopping experience.
“It’s not just about coming here and going to the brick-and-mortar stores,” said Danielle Woo, general manager at West Edmonton Mall. “That’s really been the secret to keeping it relevant over time because people are coming here for a full experience.”
READ MORE: How much Canadians across the country plan to spend this holiday season
Many shopping centres are now looking to transform vacant retail spaces into both pop-up and permanent attractions.
Oakridge Centre in Vancouver recently wrapped up a popular art exhibit called “Meet the Masters” featuring the works of both Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali.
In Brossard, Quebec, Quartier DIX30 features everything from a restaurant that features indoor surfing to a live butterfly exhibit.
Coverage of Black Friday 2018 on Globalnews.ca
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Black Friday sales hit Montreal -
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Boxed TV’s fly off shelves as Black Friday deals send shoppers into frenzy -
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Black Friday 2018: shoppers crowd stores to swipe best deals -
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40 per cent of Canadians intend to shop on Black Friday -
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Black Friday shopping underway in Toronto -
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Tips to help get the best Black Friday bargains -
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Black Friday USA vs. Canada -
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Black Friday: Best Buy
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Both approaches require major investments by shopping mall owners. But one thing is clear, the status quo isn’t cutting it when you’re competing with the convenience of online shopping.
The argument for West Edmonton Mall is you can’t enjoy the thrills of ziplining when you’re shopping online.
The new “Amazing Brentwood” development might also be able to compete with Amazon’s two-day shipping, when new residents just have to travel to the ground floor to go shopping.
WATCH: Malls evolving to include non-shopping activities, features, housing
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