Officials look at the future of theWestfield Trumbull mall
Mixed use seen as key to replace lagging retail foot traffic
Trumbull’s largest taxpayer is looking to reinvent itself.
With the retail industry still in flux, operators of theWestfieldTrumbull mall say they are looking to step away from their retailonly foundation in search of newways to boost foot traffic.
“WestfieldTrumbull remains an incredibly viable economic engine for the area provided that the center evolveswith the changing nature of consumer tastes,” saidMarcusReece, EVP of Public Affairs forWestfield Trumbull, in an email toHearst ConnecticutMedia.
Reece said the future of the shopping center is going to be driven by a mix of development that focuses on customer convenience and experiences— and less on straight retail.
Ecommerce strain
Asurvey byNewYorkbased Harris Insights and Analytics found that 78 percent ofmillennials surveyed said theywould rather spend money on “desirable experiences or events” than buyingmaterial items.
The continued shift of the industry has been most apparent among department stores and national chains primarily found in malls nationwide.
Yeartodate closure announcements have already exceeded the total recorded for 2018, according toNewYorkbased CoresightResearch. The research and advisory firm reported thatU. S. retailers announced more than 8,000 store closures thus far, surpassing the 5,844 closures in all of 2018.
“Successful brands realize that they need to open retail stores to drive consumer spending both online and offline; and centers need to be the ideal home for these retail storefronts as well as placeswhere people gather to go out to eat, see amovie and share time together,” Reece said.
Shopping malls nationwide have beenweathering the storm of the “retail apocalypse” in recent years by mixing things up in their tenancy to reflect consumer demands. Connecticut malls have been no exception. The strain of competing with local stores, online retailers and smaller retail plazas has been evidentwith the recent listing of the StamfordTownCenter for sale, which has dealt with high turnover and newcompetition with the opening of the SoNo CollectionMall inNorwalk.
With five malls in southwestern Connecticut, the state’s retail market has seen its share of changes brought on by shifting trends, according to David Lehman, commissioner of the state Department ofEconomic and Community Development.
“Whatwas a tailwind has become a headwind and the same is true for malls,” Lehman said duringTrumbull’sBusiness Appreciation Breakfast in October.
Prior toworking inHartford, Lehman, a former Goldman Sachs partner, worked in commercial real estate lending. Part of hiswork with theWall Street giant included construction and development of retail centers.
“Withmalls, as soon as that occupancy starts to drop and traffic falls, it can become very vicious quickly, so you need experiencefocused tenants in thatmall quickly,” he said.
Town support
The future of the mall is still malleable, butReece said town support will be a crucial point in the mall’s transformation.
“Thecommunity needs to share and support that vision— which is essential for long term economic health of the center and, in turn, its contribution to the tax base, localemployment and the vitality of the local economy,” he said.
Trumbull’s planning and zoning commission approved a zone change for theWestfield’s land slightly more than a year ago, designating the mall’s 80acre property amixeduse commercial and business district.
The shiftwaswasmade in large part to allowthe mall to propose plans to build 260 apartments on the property, which several residents opposed when itwas first introduced.
WestfieldTrumbull has not submitted any proposals for the apartments as of Oct. 30. According to Rina Bakalar, Trumbull’s economic development director, the zone changewas also meant to help the mall plan for its future redevelopment.