[knarf]

I haven't researched the areas those malls are in, but around here .. in SW Pa. .. probably because of the gas well boom (did I say boom ? ... I meant BOOM !!! ..) the malls are still being built from scratch and Appleby's type steak/restaurants going up all over the place

If a mall is dead ... the money has left ... plain and simple

Has NOTHING to do with "being retailed"

[fatnotlazy]

I don't know where you are, but most of the malls closer to Pittsburgh aren't doing well. They're becoming gangsta hangouts. Part of the problem is the availability of public transportation. I appreciate having bus service to these malls since I don't drive, but public transit also makes it easy for the thugs and lowlifes to infest these malls. People hear of brawls, such as the recent one at Monroeville Mall, or robbery/assaults, such as a recent incident at South Hills Village, and they become reluctant to shop in these malls.

Malls further away from the city, such as those in outlying counties have few or no public transportation options. These malls are flourishing.

Malls had better invest in better security. It's no longer enough to have a handful of security guards around. I think at some point, malls are going to have to adopt some TSA-style measures such as scanners and metal detectors. Sure, those procedures aren't fun, but malls are no longer safe, and if the malls want to stay in business, they are going to have to make some safety improvements to attract and keep shoppers.

[Cronos]

well, it depends on the situation. If you’ve got two or more malls relatively close to each other with the same selling proposition, then at least one will die — free market economics