From traditional souqs in the 1970s to ventilated shopping centres in the 1980s and modern malls now, the gradual evolution of consumer habits has been a fascinating journey to watch. Indeed, the first decade of the century was marked by an emphasis on a premium shopping experience, but times are changing once more.
According to a report published by a property consultancy firm and a retail trade association, millennials, who are a key target demographic for retailers, would rather shop online and prefer to spend their leisure time eating out rather than searching for, say, a new pair of trainers. The same report expects F&B outlet space to cover around 30 per cent of shopping space by 2025.
Malls occupy a significant part of our daily lives: they are civic spaces that we beat a path to, especially during the hot summer months. They are not just places we go to shop, they are places we go to live. As e-commerce continues to grow, we’d expect to see more restaurants and fewer shops in the malls of our future.
