Kowalski’s will soon open the first grocery store at an indoor mall in the Twin Cities.
Why it matters: Adding grocery stores is the latest way malls are reinventing themselves.
- Plus, some real estate experts think they could help save the ones that are dying .
Driving the news: Woodbury-based Kowalski’s is building a 34,000-square-foot store in the former Herberger’s space at Edina’s Southdale Center. When it opens in April, it will have an entrance facing York Avenue and one from the interior of Southdale.
- The company is also drawing up designs to remake the former Sears Auto Center at Minnetonka’s Ridgedale Center, owner Kris Kowalski Christiansen told Axios.
State of play: Regional malls have lost many of the department stores that have attracted people since their early days. Owners have turned to experiential sporting goods stores, food halls , and health clubs to bring people back.
Zoom out: Pure grocery stores are rare at indoor malls in the U.S., with the caveat that many are home to Target stores that also sell groceries, including the one at Eden Prairie Center.