Remarkable Retail Podcast · 2026-05-19 · 59 min
In Episode 302 of The Remarkable Retail Podcast, Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc sit down with Eric Sadi, Co-President, North America at Simon Property Group, for a long-overdue conversation on what the modern mall has actually become - and why the obituaries keep aging badly. Eric walks through Simon's reimagination strategy: replacing tired anchor boxes with mixed-use destinations that braid together dining, entertainment, fitness, hospitality, and even residential living. He explains why occupancy at the top of the portfolio sits above 96%, why rents and tenant sales keep climbing, and why human connection, discovery, and community still drive the consumer behaviour the algorithms can't replicate. The "third place" isn't a slogan - it's a deliberate redesign of what a shopping center is for. The conversation also takes on the most misunderstood narrative in retail: why Walmart, Target, Apple, and a new generation of experiential brands keep pouring billions into stores when so much of the growth lives online. The short answer? Stores aren't just sales channels anymore. They're infrastructure, media, and community.
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