Commercial Signage: The evolution of shopping malls

by all | 23 May 2018 9:35 am

By Craig M. Berger
These days, it seems like shopping malls are frequently spoken of in life-and-death terms. Financial analytics firm Credit Suisse, for example, recently issued a report predicting between 225 and 275 enclosed malls—comprising roughly 25 per cent of those across North America—would close in the next five years.

Those that thrive, meanwhile, may be subject to major changes. IHL Group, a global research and advisory firm that specializes in the retail and hospitality industries, estimates 10,000 stores will close during the same five-year span, while 14,000 new ones will open.

This is an unprecedented degree of ‘churn’ for shopping malls. Many of the vacating tenants will be traditional department stores and clothing retailers, while newly introduced businesses will include specialty stores, restaurants, theatres and other venues offering social experiences.

This trend is significant for the sign industry. For one thing, churn represents a major opportunity, with large numbers of new signs needed for new mall tenants. For another, many existing malls are being redeveloped in ways that place greater emphasis on the importance of their façades and signage, encouraging more creativity and innovation.

Turning inside out
Modern shopping centres were pioneered in the U.S. by Austrian-born architect Victor Gruen in the early 1950s. The earliest of these were open to the elements, but Gruen also went on to develop the first enclosed mall in 1956.

While some malls have returned to the open-air approach (such as Toronto’s Shops at Don Mills, which replaced the enclosed Don Mills Centre in 2009), others have remained enclosed but added more stores with their own dedicated façades (such as Pennsylvania’s recently renovated King of Prussia Mall, which has expanded the number of stores and restaurants with their own external entrances, providing more locations for signage).

This process has only been accelerated by the closing of department stores, which previously served as anchor tenants, and their replacement by flagship retailers, restaurants and entertainment venues. As mall owners seek to break up large spaces with blank walls along their exterior and interior façades, the number of opportunities for signmakers has increased dramatically. Indeed, these opportunities have yielded substantial growth for fabricators specializing in mall signs.

Replacing old with new
As both larger department stores and some smaller shops close, they are being replaced by a new breed of flagship stores, such as clothing retailer H&M, which can occupy a fairly large space with plenty of creative control, while still enjoying the amenities of being part of a mall.

In the latest renovations to Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, designed by locally based MMC International Architects, existing store spaces have been doubled in height, allowing for much greater visual impact with their indoor signage and façades. Unlike many older malls with tight design standards, out-of-the-box thinking is actively encouraged by the mall’s owner, Oxford Properties. This strategy has helped Yorkdale maintain higher sales per square foot—according to data from the Retail Council of Canada (RCC)—than any other mall in the country.

Wholesale conversion
Many malls, particularly those in smaller regional centres, are going to close down permanently. Some will be demolished, but most will be converted into corporate, educational and/or health-care facilities.

Such conversions will represent a trend of ‘creative destruction,’ as existing business will be lost, yet replaced with new business. These spaces will provide opportunities for new signs and branding, as tenant organizations look to create an identity across the same vast expanse as the shopping malls that went before them.

In San Antonio, Texas, for example, the failed Windsor Park Mall was taken over by Rackspace, a technology firm, which turned it into offices for 3,000 employees. The renovation entailed a complete changeover, designed by Workshop No.5, with new signs and branded spaces. One of the only architectural elements they kept was the food court.

Spectacular experiences
This is not to suggest, of course, that all shopping malls and/or their current tenants are doing poorly. On the contrary, many are still doing extremely well, responding to economic pressures to keep on the cutting edge by focusing their efforts on luxury, entertainment and the customer experience.

“Successful shopping malls are those that go beyond a simple retail destination to create a unique and exciting experience,” says Maarten Dollevoet, senior vice-president (SVP) of global sales for Broadsign, a Montreal-based software developer that recently signed an agreement to support a network of 500 screens at 18 Westfield-owned shopping centres across the U.S.

One approach for creating a unique experience and standing out from the crowd is the ‘spectacular.’ This type of undertaking goes beyond standard illuminated, dimensional and digital signage to produce exciting and distinctive effects. It calls for a new spirit of collaboration between designers, manufacturers and fabricators, as the barriers to entry are high when combining traditional signmaking with digital technology.

For Ivanhoé Cambridge’s massive Tsawwassen Mills mall, which opened in Delta, B.C., in late 2016, illuminated, dynamic sculptures were combined with unique façades and displays, taking full advantage of the opportunities afforded by today’s trends and capabilities in sign design and fabrication. Knight Signs and Pattison Sign Group were among the companies that contributed to this standout project.

A transformational trend
Malls are simply the next traditional type of building to undergo massive change as the public’s lifestyles are transformed by technology and social trends. This process is just starting, as mall developers promote success both through greater expansion and by closing failing enterprises.

These changes have, in turn, forced some sign companies to go big, become more adept in implementing new technologies, take on greater responsibility for entire branded environments and focus on creating highly customized, multi-sensory experiences.

Craig M. Berger is chair of the visual presentation and exhibition design department of the Fashion Institute of Technology’s (FIT’s) School of Art and Design and runs his own firm, Craig Berger Management Consulting, which assists fabricators, manufacturers and institutions with design-based marketing and education strategies. For information, contact him via e-mail at craig_berger@fitnyc.edu[4].

Source URL: https://www.signmedia.ca/commercial-signage-the-evolution-of-shopping-malls/

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