Dying mid-range mall

Bloomberg looks at how retail struggles might kill the middle-of-the-road malls before this pandemic is done:

Although many bankrupt retailers continue operating while restructuring under Chapter 11, they’re planning to shut down droves of lower-performing stores. Justice recently shuttered its location in Crystal Mall after its parent company, Ascena Retail Group Inc., filed for bankruptcy on July 23. The mall also houses a Men’s Wearhouse, whose parent, Tailored Brands Inc., filed for bankruptcy on Aug. 2. It wants to close up to 500 stores, accounting for a third of its locations. Vitamin retailer GNC, which filed for bankruptcy on June 23, wants to close at least 800 to 1,200 stores. They both operate in Crystal Mall.

I like these triangles to show scale. There’s also a variable width bar chart in the piece. It’s so back.

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Pretend mall map to show at-risk brands

Many brands that were at-risk before the pandemic or ran with low profit margins might not make it through this thing. The Washington Post used a faux mall map to show the levels of risk:

Companies in this faux mall are rated as speculative investments at Moody’s and S&P as of April 13. These stores are already in financial trouble, and may not be able to access government stimulus money. The stores with the worst ratings are closer to the top of the mall. Brands that are part of the same company, like the Gap and Old Navy, are included in the same storefront.

The above is one level out of four, and each rectangle is sized by a company’s revenue.

I’m getting childhood flashbacks passing time inside the circles of clothes.

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