The retail is secondary; this is an entertainment destination. Years ago many of our malls here in NJ started focusing on food instead of merchandise because there is less and less discretionary income here - so people looking for deals were looking online. Another mall about 20 minutes west of this waved the white flag years ago when they opened a tattoo parlor there - really said it all. Others nearby (in Jersey City and Paramus) have theaters as part of the “experience”.
Good points. In the medium sized city I live in when I walk to work downtown, it is remarkable if you really look how much empty retail space there is. Yet in the outer suburbs they keep building new retail space.
Apparently pension funds back east in Canada own a lot of this retail space, and they rather space be empty than reduce their ridiculous rents.