Many shopping centres are not inspiring places. Although there are exceptions, run-down facilities and dingy shopfronts are a familiar sight in many UK malls, which have decayed through a lack of investment and struggled to recover visitor levels post-pandemic. 

According to real estate business Savills, as of December 2023, footfall in shopping centres in various countries was between 15% and 20% down on the levels seen in January 2020.

All the while, physical retail in general has been enjoying a renaissance, with footfall at retail parks and high streets recording a higher uplift than shopping centres as recently as the Easter weekend.