Another Blow to City Centers: Retail Stores Move Outward
Major brands are eschewing both downtowns and malls in favor of smaller residential locations in the US, compounding the financial strain of office vacancies.
Abercrombie & Fitch closed its large store at Water Tower Place in Chicago’s city center after pandemic lockdowns.
Photographer: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images
After Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. closed a large store in Water Tower Place, a mall near Chicago’s city center. It was one of a spate of pandemic-related retail closures in downtown urban neighborhoods that have since become permanent. But the clothing retailer had other plans in store.
At the end of 2021, the company opened a new boutique-style shop in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, where a large customer base was making online purchases.