Malls are making a comeback and it’s thanks to Gen Z. According to Placer.ai, traffic to indoor malls was up 4.5-percent in January and February from the previous year. According to Circana, shoppers between the ages of 18 and 24 bought 62-percent of their total general merchandise purchases in stores last year. What’s the lure to malls for Gen Z? They want a sense of community and in-person connection. The younger generation is also putting value focused stores above high end retailers. Gen Alpha is expected to follow this trend as they get older, which is great news for malls, as they’ve been shutting down for over two decades in droves.
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