Alexi Lemay, Senior Partner Architect at LemayMichaud, had the
opportunity to participate in a conference last October on the future of
Post-COVID commercial destinations.
To understand today’s issue and debate, it is important to know the
origin of shopping centers. A little over 40 years ago, the notion of
“Anchor tenant” was born alongside shopping centers. These big names in
the retail industry were strategically established in shopping malls for
several years to ensure traffic flow and to help the survival of the
smallest retailers by creating business clusters.
While we are not out of the current pandemic, it is becoming
increasingly clear that shopping malls and retail businesses in general
as we know them will have to readjust to cope with the consequences of
the crisis. Today’s shopping malls, although having been redesigned over
the past few years to cope with the digital shift, will have to
readjust yet again to respond to a new reality in order to survive.
As a direct consequence of COVID-19, many chains and stores are
moving towards online commerce, some even choosing to close their stores
completely to maximize their online presence. This has a direct impact
on traffic but also on the primary objective of shopping malls.
Therefore, it is necessary for shopping destinations to rethink their
experiential offer, while also considering hygiene and prevention
measures, whether they are temporary or permanent.
Has the crisis accelerated awareness of owners and shareholders, forcing a more rapid restructuring than expected? Probably.
We have seen a trend among our clients in recent years to search for
solutions or to redefine the offer on site, for example with the
appearance of power centers such as the Dix30 in Brossard. In addition
to boutiques and stores, shopping centers must become an entertainment
destination with a wide range of services: play centers, restaurants,
common areas, etc.
This new tangent responds to consumer demands to diversify their
shopping experience and to the needs of property owners to attract a
broader customer base and maximize visitor time on site.
Let’s take the Galeries de la Capitale
in Quebec City for instance, whose offer and experience were redesigned
in 2019. In addition to classic retailers such as Sports Experts, we
also find the Mega Parc
featuring attractions including a skating rink, a fast-food common
area, but also adjacent more upscale restaurants, a movie theatre, and a
gourmet market. The objective of this kind of rehabilitation is to
maximize consumer time on site, but also to develop an offer for all
types of clientele.
” Now, the owners of these centers must once again find
what the consumers need and will certainly have to offer safe premises
that will meet the new health standards. ” Alexi Lemay
What are the impacts and the future of shopping centers?
When thinking about the restructuring of commercial destinations, we
must find relevant solutions in the short and medium term, especially in
the context of a pandemic, but also in the long term. The property
owners had already started thinking about this issue, as we have
witnessed a questioning in recent years about the adjustment of these
sites and their integration towards a more efficient urban cohesion.
The accessibility of shopping malls will be a particularly important
stake in the future, as new generations will increasingly use individual
transportation less and less. What does this mean in actual terms for
the shopping center or shopping destinations? First of all, the main
challenge is the creation of exchange hubs and their integration in the
surrounding urban fabric in order to create a cohesive relationship
between the different spaces
Next, it also requires rethinking the large parking spaces in order
to compensate for future desertification, finding them a new use to
promote a diversity of offers: offices, residential spaces, etc.
In short, as explained by Alexi, “We will have to revisit the urban
design within these large properties, perhaps even allow for the
integration of housing to create an appeal and make it possible for
businesses to survive. Create living environments with a certain synergy
with consumers’ lifestyles so that these locations do not become
deserted.”
