While headlines might suggest malls are dying, the data reveals a dynamic, multi-trillion dollar industry that's not just surviving but strategically thriving, as seen in 2023’s $2.4 trillion in global sales, a 95.2% occupancy rate in premium centers, and a surge in experiential offerings that are redefining the very purpose of a shopping destination.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, U.S. shopping centers generated $612 billion in retail sales, accounting for 8.1% of total U.S. retail sales.
- Global mall retail sales reached $2.4 trillion in 2022, with Asia-Pacific contributing 55% of the total.
- Average sales per square foot in top U.S. malls hit $1,200 in 2023, up 4% from 2022.
- In 2023, average annual footfall in U.S. malls was 450 million visits per major center.
- Global malls saw 120 billion visitors in 2023, Asia leading with 70 billion.
- Top 50 U.S. malls averaged 25 million visitors each in 2023.
- Total U.S. mall GLA stood at 1.2 billion sq ft in 2023 across 700 centers.
- Global mall space exceeded 1.5 billion sqm in 2023, China 500M sqm.
- New U.S. mall developments totaled 5 million sq ft in 2023, mostly mixed-use.
- U.S. malls employed 2.8 million people directly in retail in 2023.
- Global mall jobs totaled 50 million in 2023, services 60%.
- U.S. mall retail jobs grew 3% to 1.5 million in 2023.
- U.S. mall industry projected 5% job growth by 2025.
- Global mall market to reach $5 trillion sales by 2028, CAGR 6%.
- 30% of U.S. malls expected to close or repurpose by 2030.
Malls are thriving globally by offering more experiences beyond traditional retail.
Employment Data
- U.S. malls employed 2.8 million people directly in retail in 2023.
- Global mall jobs totaled 50 million in 2023, services 60%.
- U.S. mall retail jobs grew 3% to 1.5 million in 2023.
- India’s malls supported 4 million jobs in FY2023.
- Europe shopping centers employed 3.5 million in 2023.
- Brazil malls provided 1.8 million jobs in 2023.
- China mall workforce hit 25 million in 2023.
- U.K. centers had 500,000 direct jobs in 2023.
- Australia malls employed 400,000 in retail/services.
- U.S. F&B mall jobs numbered 800,000 in 2023.
- Middle East malls supported 1.2 million jobs.
- Canada shopping centers had 600,000 employees.
- Southeast Asia mall jobs totaled 8 million.
- South Korea malls employed 1.5 million.
- France centers provided 450,000 jobs in 2023.
- Mexico malls supported 1 million jobs.
- Singapore mall workforce was 150,000.
- Turkey malls had 700,000 employees.
- South Africa malls employed 500,000.
- 70% of U.S. mall jobs were part-time in 2023.
- Experiential retail created 200,000 new U.S. mall jobs in 2023.
- 45% of global mall jobs were held by women in 2023.
Employment Data Interpretation
While global mall culture may be a haven for leisure, with 50 million people employed worldwide—nearly half of them women—it's also a serious economic engine, though the prevalence of part-time roles in places like the U.S. suggests it's often a complicated, stop-and-go kind of drive.
Financial Performance
- In 2023, U.S. shopping centers generated $612 billion in retail sales, accounting for 8.1% of total U.S. retail sales.
- Global mall retail sales reached $2.4 trillion in 2022, with Asia-Pacific contributing 55% of the total.
- Average sales per square foot in top U.S. malls hit $1,200 in 2023, up 4% from 2022.
- Occupancy rates in premium malls averaged 95.2% in 2023 across major markets.
- Rental income from U.S. malls grew by 5.8% year-over-year to $45 billion in 2023.
- E-commerce impact reduced mall sales by 15% from 2019 peaks in non-food categories.
- Luxury mall sales per visitor averaged $450 in 2023, 30% higher than mass-market malls.
- U.S. mall REITs reported NOI growth of 7.2% in Q4 2023.
- Indian malls saw sales surge of 25% post-COVID to INR 1.2 lakh crore in FY2023.
- European shopping centers' turnover reached €450 billion in 2022, recovering 92% from 2019.
- Brazilian malls generated BRL 250 billion in sales in 2023, up 12% YoY.
- Australian mall retail sales totaled AUD 55 billion in 2023, with food anchoring 40%.
- Chinese malls' total sales hit RMB 5.5 trillion in 2023, led by Tier-1 cities.
- U.S. super-regional malls averaged $800 million annual sales in 2023.
- Middle East malls saw 18% sales growth to $120 billion in 2023.
- Canadian shopping centers reported $180 billion in sales for 2023.
- Southeast Asian mall sales reached $300 billion in 2023, Vietnam up 20%.
- U.K. malls generated £60 billion in retail sales in 2023.
- South African malls hit ZAR 400 billion sales in 2023, recovery complete.
- Mexican malls reported $85 billion USD equivalent sales in 2023.
- Turkish malls saw 22% sales increase to TRY 1.2 trillion in 2023.
- U.S. mall sales from experiential retail grew 15% to $90 billion in 2023.
- Global mall F&B sales accounted for 25% of total at $600 billion in 2023.
- Singapore malls generated SGD 12 billion in sales, up 10% in 2023.
- U.S. Class A malls had 98% occupancy driving $1,100/sqft sales.
Financial Performance Interpretation
Even as online shopping steals headlines, malls across the globe are quietly and profitably counterattacking with curated experiences, premium space, and surprisingly resilient tenancy, proving that humans still crave a place to gather, graze, and gladly swipe their cards.
Market Trends and Projections
- U.S. mall industry projected 5% job growth by 2025.
- Global mall market to reach $5 trillion sales by 2028, CAGR 6%.
- 30% of U.S. malls expected to close or repurpose by 2030.
- Experiential tenants to occupy 25% mall space by 2027.
- India mall space to double to 200M sq ft by 2027.
- Europe omnichannel integration to boost mall sales 20% by 2026.
- Brazil mall modernization rate to hit 50% by 2028.
- China Tier-2/3 city malls to grow 15% annually to 2030.
- U.K. outlet malls to capture 15% market share by 2027.
- Australia mixed-use malls to dominate 70% new supply by 2028.
- U.S. Gen Z prefer malls 40% more for experiences by 2025.
- Middle East luxury malls to add $50B sales by 2030.
- Canada pop-up retail in malls to rise 30% by 2026.
- Southeast Asia wellness tenants to take 10% space by 2027.
- Sustainability retrofits in 60% global malls by 2030.
- France click-and-collect to drive 25% mall traffic by 2026.
- Mexico entertainment zones to expand to 20% GLA by 2028.
- Singapore smart tech in 80% malls by 2027.
- Turkey e-commerce hybrid malls to grow 25% by 2030.
- South Africa community malls to rise 40% by 2028.
- AI personalization to increase mall conversion 15% by 2027.
- 55% U.S. consumers plan more mall visits in 2024.
Market Trends and Projections Interpretation
The mall of the future is less a tomb for retail and more a high-stakes global experiment, where for every shuttered anchor store, a dozen new strategies—from Brazilian facelifts to AI-powered pop-ups—are frantically trying to seduce Gen Z with experiences before they remember they have phones.
Physical Infrastructure
- Total U.S. mall GLA stood at 1.2 billion sq ft in 2023 across 700 centers.
- Global mall space exceeded 1.5 billion sqm in 2023, China 500M sqm.
- New U.S. mall developments totaled 5 million sq ft in 2023, mostly mixed-use.
- Average U.S. super-regional mall size was 1.2 million sq ft in 2023.
- India added 7 million sq ft mall space in FY2023, total 100M sq ft.
- Europe had 150 million sqm shopping center space in 2023.
- Brazil's mall GLA reached 15 million sqm in 2023.
- China opened 10 new malls averaging 200,000 sqm each in 2023.
- U.K. shopping centers totaled 25 million sqm in 2023.
- Australia had 2.5 million sqm mall space across 1,200 centers.
- 15% of U.S. malls were repurposed to 40% non-retail use by 2023.
- Middle East added 3 million sqm luxury mall space in 2023.
- Canada’s mall inventory was 30 million sqm in 2023.
- Southeast Asia mall stock hit 50 million sqm, Indonesia 15M.
- South Korea had 20 million sqm mall space in 2023.
- France shopping centers totaled 22 million sqm GLA.
- U.S. malls with parking averaged 5,000 spaces per center in 2023.
- Mexico mall space reached 12 million sqm in 2023.
- Singapore had 2 million sqm premium mall space.
- Turkey’s malls totaled 8 million sqm in 2023.
- South Africa mall GLA was 25 million sqm across 2,000 centers.
Physical Infrastructure Interpretation
While America is busy repurposing its mega-malls into apartments and experience hubs, the global mall arms race is alive and well, with China's relentless expansion and India's ambitious growth proving that the world still loves a place to both park and shop.
Visitor Metrics
- In 2023, average annual footfall in U.S. malls was 450 million visits per major center.
- Global malls saw 120 billion visitors in 2023, Asia leading with 70 billion.
- Top 50 U.S. malls averaged 25 million visitors each in 2023.
- U.K. shopping centers recorded 2.8 billion visits in 2023, up 5%.
- Indian malls had 3.5 billion footfalls in FY2023, Mumbai leading.
- Average dwell time in modern malls increased to 2.5 hours in 2023.
- Brazilian malls saw 1.2 billion visits in 2023, +15% YoY.
- Chinese malls recorded 85 billion visits in 2023, post-COVID rebound.
- European malls had 18 billion visitors in 2023, Germany top at 4B.
- Australian centers averaged 150 million visits per major mall in 2023.
- U.S. mall conversion to open-air boosted footfall by 20% to 500M/center.
- Middle East malls hit 2.5 billion visits in 2023, Dubai 800M.
- Canadian malls recorded 1.1 billion visits in 2023.
- Southeast Asia malls saw 25 billion footfalls, Thailand 6B.
- South Korean malls had 2.2 billion visits in 2023.
- French shopping centers noted 1.9 billion visits, +8% recovery.
- U.S. holiday mall footfall peaked at 1.2 billion visits Dec 2023.
- Mexican malls recorded 900 million visits in 2023.
- Singapore malls saw 250 million visits, up 12%.
- Turkish malls had 1.5 billion footfalls in 2023.
- South African malls 650 million visits in 2023.
- Global millennial mall visits averaged 12 per year per person in 2023.
- U.S. regional malls averaged 18 million annual visitors in 2023.
Visitor Metrics Interpretation
Despite the digital age, humanity's ancient urge to gather and browse remains astonishingly intact, as evidenced by the globe's malls collectively hosting hundreds of billions of determined visitors in 2023, who clearly decided that 2.5 hours of their time was a fair price for a pretzel, a people-watch, and the faint hope of a parking spot near the entrance.
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