Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
Over the next ten years, Mall of America—Minnesota's retail behemoth and the biggest mall in the United States—will double in size. Currently, the mall is so big that it could swallow seven Yankee Stadiums, and according to mall literature, it would take you 86 hours to visit the mall if you spent 10 minutes in each store.
Said Mall of America's executive vp of business development, Maureen Bausch, "The future of malls is about experience, creating a destination. It's about giving the customer an experience they'll leave their laptop for." It's working: The mall receives 40 million visitors per year, 35 to 40% of which are tourists. To attract them, Mall of America has developed amenities that extend past retail, such as the nation's biggest indoor theme park, an aquarium, a movie theater, a flight simulator, mini-golf and more.
With the Mall's expansion will come more attractions. Fortune reports that there will be a Marriott hotel, an office tower, and a food hall that Bausch describes as 'exciting,' in part because it will offer guests 'real plates.'
· Why Mall of America is expanding as many retailers implode [Fortune]
· Lululemon's 2014 Warehouse Sale Will Be in...Minnesota? [Racked]
· America's Craziest Mall Will Offer Indoor Surfing, Skiing, Topshop [Racked]
Loading comments...