Business restrictions brought on by COVID-19, both mandatory and voluntary, pushed many malls and shopping centers out of business. Across the country, entire malls or significant portions thereof have become vacant and there is no reason to believe this trend will not continue, NJ Biz reports.
Reduced foot traffic in retail spaces created a new challenge for malls and shopping centers, trying to find new and creative ways to attract and keep customers. To meet this challenge, property owners located a need in the marketplace and created an innovative approach, bringing in health care facilities, dental offices, and hospitals to the mall and shopping centers.
For malls and shopping centers, bringing in health care clinics and hospitals will not only repopulate empty square footage but contribute to foot traffic for the shops and service businesses remaining in the mall or shopping center. These hybrid facilities have the added benefit of being able to draw additional visitors during slower daytime hours. For example, Vanderbilt University Medical Center took over the One Hundred Oaks mall located in Nashville, Tenn., which now houses 22 specialty clinics in approximately 500,000 square feet. Read more.
