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Desperate Malls Turn to Concerts and Food Trucks

Retail landlords use their parking lots as event space
Carnivals being held for first time at Texas, Wyoming malls

Bloomberg business news — How to Combat Amazon's Retail Dominance

By

Heather Perlberg

April 21, 2017, 9:00 AM UTCUpdated onApril 21, 2017, 4:13 PM UTC

Malls are fighting for shoppers with one thing their web rivals can’t offer: parking lots.

With customer traffic sagging, U.S. retail landlords are using their sprawling concrete lots to host events such as carnivals, concerts and food-truck festivals. They’re aiming to lure visitors with experiences that can’t be replicated online -- and then get them inside the properties to spend some money.