The shopping mall conundrum

The health of commercial real estate, particularly retail shopping malls, has always been explicitly tied to the transactional velocity occurring inside its shop lots. When consumers spend, developers build, asset values appreciate and real estate investment trusts thrive.

However, the latest data released by Retail Group Malaysia (RGM) reveals a complex, uneven landscape that forces mall landlords and property strategists to reconsider their tenant mixes and spatial layouts.