The space is valuable. The visit still has to be earned.
Three companies made the same bet in three days. On September 15, Simon unveiled one consumer campaign for more than 200 malls and outlets. On September 14, Best Buy opened its holiday push, putting store experiences next to next-day delivery and ChatGPT checkout. On September 16 in Wuxi, Hang Lung opened a 105-room Hilton hotel inside a complex that already holds a luxury mall, offices and residences.
US mall values rose 13% over the past year, more than twice the pace of commercial property overall, according to Green Street data reported by The Wall Street Journal. Simon, Best Buy and Hang Lung are spending on the same problem: getting someone to show up.
Data on malls.com: For teams tracking tenant mix and openings, the Malls.com databases cover tenants, anchors and new stores across 7,000+ malls in the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Simon put 200+ malls under one consumer brand.
Simon Media Network.
On September 15, Simon unveiled It's a Simon Thing, a single creative platform for its Malls and Premium Outlets, rolling out this fall across television, cinema, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Simon calls it one of the first major activations of Simon Media Network, the commerce media platform it launched on August 27 on top of its existing media business, selling advertisers behavior across shopping, dining and entertainment rather than purchases from a single retailer.
Simon's core mall business is already strong. As of June 30, occupancy stood at 96.0%, base minimum rent at $62.42 per square foot, up 6.3% year on year, and retailer sales at $838 per square foot, up 13.9%. Tenants pay for the space. Advertisers pay for access to the audience. Both need people to show up, and people drive to King of Prussia for a store, a restaurant or a film. The owner's name mostly appears on the parking signs. That is what the campaign is trying to change.
Best Buy is putting demos next to one-click checkout.
Meta Lab shop-in-shops.
On September 14, Best Buy opened its holiday gifting center with two in-store builds attached: dedicated Google areas arriving in select stores from October, and the continuing rollout of Meta Lab shop-in-shops, first announced on June 8 for more than 50 locations, with demos and personalized fittings of headsets and glasses. The same announcement promises next-day delivery in nearly every metro market and purchases through ChatGPT.
Next-day delivery and ChatGPT make the trip less necessary. The store answers with what checkout cannot do: try, fit and compare. Chief revenue officer Patrick McGinnis put the store's job plainly: helping customers "discover and experience" technology.
Center 66 added a hotel to the mall, offices and homes.
Center 66 Wuxi in China.
On September 16, Hang Lung opened Xi Zhe Wuxi, Curio Collection by Hilton: 105 rooms and suites across two buildings at Center 66 in China, the final major piece of the complex's second phase. The mall below carries more than 250 international brands, over 30 ultra-luxury names among them, and more than 100 first-to-market stores. Nearly 30% of its visitors travel from outside Wuxi, and a retail expansion now underway will grow the footprint by 38%.
Hang Lung says Hilton's global clientele "mirrors the premium, discerning customer base we have cultivated over the years," and that the hotel invites guests "to stay longer and explore more of the destination." The new traffic source is not another store. It is someone sleeping, working or living on the same site.
What we're watching
→ Battersea Power Station. The London development submitted a revised masterplan on September 14 for its final 16 acres, up to 3.2 million square feet of homes, offices and leisure around 170+ operating shops and restaurants. The same mechanism at city scale: building the customer base next door.
→ NRG Adventure Park, Paramus. A 59,000-square-foot lease signed on September 14 puts trampolines and ropes courses above the Stew Leonard's supermarket in a former Sears at Paramus Park South, opening in 2027. Two visit frequencies in one anchor box.
→ CardVault by Tom Brady. The collectibles chain opened its 18th store on September 16 at Westfield Century City, its third in California, with on-site grading and trade nights.
→ NRF Halloween survey 2026. Expected in late September. The 2025 edition forecast a record $13.1 billion.
Simon is putting one name across 200+ destinations. Best Buy is adding reasons to try before buying. Hang Lung put a hotel on top of the mall.
None of them gets the next visit for free.
Mati Brooks,
Editor, Malls Money
Malls.com tracks malls, brands, store openings, and retail expansion signals across 50+ countries.