The expert spoke about the future of shopping malls in five years

In five years, up to 60-70% of the space in shopping malls in Russia will be given over to entertainment, sports and public spaces, Alexey Dyakonov, a junior researcher at the Subtropical Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.

According to him, a large-scale "conversion" of commercial space is already beginning, which reflects a "deep structural crisis in the retail real estate segment." And this process will "only gain momentum."

"According to analysts, by the end of 2025, 66% of regional shopping malls needed renovation or reconstruction, and by the beginning of 2026, their share had already grown to 71%," the source recalled.

At the same time, attendance at medium-sized and large shopping malls in the first quarter of 2026 decreased by 2% in annual terms, he said. A further 3-5% reduction in traffic is expected in the regions in the spring.

Changing the purpose of the premises leads to the fact that shopping malls are no longer just a place for shopping, Dyakonov emphasized. And this trend, according to his forecast, will only intensify.

Read more in the Izvestia article:

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