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- calendar_today November 13, 2026
Fashion Place Mall Sees Uptick in Shoppers and Sales
Fashion Place Mall in Murray is experiencing a period of growth and renewed interest, with both foot traffic and sales on the rise. According to Kirsten Lee, executive vice president of retail and leasing for GGP, the company operating the mall, "Interest never died down." Lee notes that the mall has been "crushing it since 1972." Statistics reflect this continued success: traffic at the mall is up 8% year-over-year, and sales have increased by 13%, following its busiest holiday shopping season yet last year.
New Retailers Attracting Shoppers
This year, Fashion Place Mall has expanded by 55,000 square feet of new retail space and currently boasts just a single vacancy, according to senior general manager Mark Thorsen. Among the newest additions are Alo, a California-based premium athletic-wear retailer, and Garage, a Canadian casual apparel brand targeting young women. A recent highlight includes Hotel Chocolat, a luxury British chocolate retailer, opening its first Utah store in November. Major brands like Lululemon and Hollister have also remodeled and expanded their retail spaces within the mall.
Mall Experience Remains Key
For many, the appeal of malls like Fashion Place goes beyond shopping. Sherida Hosie, a local mother from West Jordan, recalls malls being a destination for independence and socializing during her youth. Now, she encourages her 14-year-old daughter to enjoy similar experiences, dropping her off to meet friends just as her parents once did. Hosie’s family frequents both open-air shopping centers and indoor malls, visiting Fashion Place about once every two months, but expecting that frequency to increase during the holidays.
Trends in Shopping and Consumer Preferences
Data from Placer.ai, a location analytics firm, reveals that visits to open-air malls have increased by 5.8% in October year-over-year, while indoor mall visits rose by 4.1%. However, the resurgence has not been uniform; high-end, or so-called Class A malls like Fashion Place are outperforming more affordable shopping centers. Readers of The Salt Lake Tribune echoed this in a recent poll, with 90 out of 96 respondents reporting a mall visit in the past year, and many citing Fashion Place as their preferred destination.
Adapting to Shifting Consumer Behavior
Fashion Place’s strategy embraces the mall experience as a form of "leisure and discovery," aligning with research from the International Council of Shopping Centers and McKinsey & Company. The report found that younger generations are particularly drawn to curated environments and store concepts like pop-ups and showroom-style formats. GGP’s studies confirm that the post-pandemic desire for connection and new experiences is a significant driver for shoppers.
Target Demographics and Looking Ahead
The mall’s core demographic skews female, ranges in age from the mid-20s to mid-40s, and tends to have a higher income. Lee observes that shoppers at Fashion Place have become more conscious about personal style, influenced substantially by social media and local preferences for modest yet trendy clothing. Thorsen adds that the mall serves all ages, from older mall-walker groups to Generation Alpha drawn in by trendy retailers and TikTok-inspired brands. The recent opening of Pop Mart demonstrated this, with lines stretching outside the mall. Looking ahead, Fashion Place has announced new stores on the horizon, including Edikted, Kendra Scott, and Rothy's, appealing to new and returning shoppers alike.
Source: sltrib.com.
