Opinion: Malls Have Rebounded Thanks To Beauty Retailers

This scene isn’t unique. It’s playing out across America as Macy’s begins closing 150 “underproductive” stores by 2026. Four Pennsylvania locations—Logan Valley Mall, Exton Square Mall, Philadelphia City Center, and Wyoming Valley Mall—are among the casualties of this strategic retreat.

The straightforward narrative is to see this as another chapter in the “retail apocalypse” story. But I see something different emerging. Beauty will no longer be a department within the anchor store but the new mall anchor itself.

The Department Store Exodus Macy’s isn’t simply closing stores—it’s executing a fundamental strategic shift. Its plan to focus on its remaining 350 locations while cutting underperforming stores speaks to a broader recognition that the traditional department store model requires reinvention.

It’s about redefining what drives mall traffic in the first place. Department stores have traditionally served as mall anchors for one primary reason: they drew consistent foot traffic that would spill over to smaller retailers. But that gravitational pull has weakened considerably…