Mall vacancies jump at fastest pace on record, hitting new high, as retailers cull store counts
April 7, 2021 | Lauren Thomas | CNBC
If you noticed more darkened windows and empty stores at the mall recently, you’re not alone.
The vacancy rate for regional malls in the United States hit a record 11.4% in the first quarter of 2021 from 10.5% in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to Moody’s Analytics’ commercial real estate division.
The 90 basis-points increase marked the highest the firm has ever seen, surpassing the record 80 basis-point spike in the first quarter of 2009, in the thick of the Great Recession.
