A struggling mall in Virginia has replaced storefronts with vending machines

pulse

March 6, 2017 6:58 PM

Hundreds of retailers are closing stores, peppering shopping malls across the country with darkened storefronts.

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One mall in Richmond, Virginia, has tried to get creative with some of its shuttered stores in a likely attempt to distract shoppers from the vacated spaces and keep traffic flowing to its remaining tenants.

The mall's distraction of choice? Vending machines.

Not far from the former Macys, an entire storefront is covered with with a Pepsi ad and two vending machines.

Next to the Pepsi ad, the mall has placed a floor-to-ceiling ad for the acne treatment Proactiv, along with a vending machine where customers can purchase Proactivs products.

But there are only so many vending machines to go around. In other parts of the mall, storefronts remain empty.

Their redevelopment plan, which was recently approved by the local government, involves tearing down a two-level parking lot to make room for new retail space like outdoor dining and entertainment, according to WTVR.

The plans also call for raising the roof of the former Macy's store, reportedly to make room for a movie theater or indoor trampoline park.

Like countless other malls across the country, Regency Square has been hit hard by the rise of ecommerce and a broad-based shift in spending away from clothes and accessories and more toward restaurants and experiences.

Mall-based retailers have been shutting down stores and in some cases going bankrupt as a result.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 1,500 store closures have been announced by companies including JCPenney, Macy's, Sears, American Apparel, HHgregg, The Limited, and Abercrombie & Fitch.

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