On Feb. 5, Southdale Center’s real estate investment trust Simon announced the introduction of new stores this year. Retailers will include Aritzia, Mango, Pandora, Athleta, JD Sports, and CAMP. This follows recent arrivals such as Swarovski and Abercrombie & Fitch as well as lululemon’s move from the Galleria to the Southdale Center.

In the press release, Simon Malls Co-President Jonathan Murphy announced that the new stores will give “even more reasons for shoppers to rediscover Southdale Center.”

Southdale Center opened in 1956 as the U.S.’s first fully enclosed, climate-controlled shopping mall. However, especially after the pandemic, Southdale Center and other malls across the U.S. have faced a decline in shoppers. In 2024, Capital One Shopping Research projected that by 2032, 150 malls would remain open in the U.S., falling from the currently estimated number of 1,150.

In response, Southdale Center has seen development in the outer areas of the property with the additions of Restoration Hardware, a Kowalski’s Market, and Puttshack.

The new multimillion-dollar project to bring luxury stores to the inside of the mall is only the next step. To balance the retailers, older stores such as Bath & Body Works and Forever 21 are being shut down. 

“[It] kind of seems like they’re trying to match the Galleria’s vibe,” mall-goer Tenzin Tsephel said. “I definitely feel like their aim of bringing these new stores in is working because now there’s a bunch of other people coming here, so they’re changing for the shopper’s needs.”

Edina High School students echo this sentiment and are enjoying other benefits of the mall’s redevelopment. “I feel like it’s safer,” junior Adelle Chinnakotla said. “I think it’s good, the mall is not going to be dead.”