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V O L . X X I I I N O. X I X A U G U S T 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 14 O n a given day, Ao Pineda is at her new store, Ao Luxe in the Bangor Mall, providing body- art services like the application of henna and threading, followed by an evening of bellydance instruction. Where regional malls were once the domain of fashion brands and national chains, they're now adapting to shift- ing retail trends and consumer demo- graphics. As such, they're reaching out to non-traditional retailers. e Bangor Mall, owned by Indianapolis- based Simon Property Group, re ects that trend. Body-art services, a church and a tness studio are part of a new wave of non-traditional tenants mov- ing into the mall. "Retail has changed," says Bangor Mall General Manager James Gerety. "What we're o ering is changing, because that's what the customer wants and you have to adapt. We're looking for new and exciting concepts. And it's not particular to the Bangor Mall. It's industrywide." e movement is a re ection of trends nationally, as malls and shop- ping centers grapple with the decline of venerable brick-and-mortar retailers like Macy's and Sears, along with the growing popularity of online shopping and shifting shopper demographics that see less spending by downsizing baby boomers and a shift in types of spending by millennials who may pre- fer experience over goods. In Pineda's case, she moved Ao Luxe from a cramped studio in down- town Bangor, where storefront services shared space with the dance studio. At Bangor Mall, she has double the oor space, and takes a store once occupied by the national chain Motherhood Maternity. She now bene ts from having better visibility and foot tra c, among other features . "It's so much better," Pineda — a cheerful person who is a personal advertisement of her services — says, as the mall corridors hummed with shopping activity. " e parking is amazing. e security is amazing: My other studio was broken into at least twice a year. e management is amazing. ere's air conditioning. Our classes are fuller. ere's more tra c exposure. It's been very successful." Shifts in big retail One major change here occurred in January, with the closure of Macy's. e -year-old chain opened here in , in a section constructed in for a Filene's (now a web retailer). e Macy's closure was one of P H O T O / JA S O N P. S M I T H F O C U S Ao Pineda, owner of Ao Luxe, moved her body-art shop from downtown Bangor to the Bangor Mall, where she has double the fl oor space and better security. Online shopping and the mall O nline shopping is not the death of malls, says Bangor Mall General Manager James Gerety. But retailers must keep up with technically savvy customers. "You have to understand how they communicate and what platforms they use to shop," he says. "We use our website as a means for tenants to reach different segments in the market. And tenants have their own strong brand marketing through social media and other platforms. We also communicate directly with customers, and there are different apps they can load on their iPhone, with information about different tenants and their offerings. Those apps are something we develop with ten- ants." The International Council of Shopping Centers confi rms those observations. ICSC'S SURVEY REVEALS: ¡ 87% of millennials and 79% of Generation X use mobile devices to click-and-collect. ¡ 86% of millennials, 74% of Generation X and 61% of boomers access retailer apps weekly. ¡ 37% of consumers have used digital assistants, like Siri, to build shopping lists or place orders. ¡ 35% of consumers have used mobile pay options. ¡ By 2020, more than half of consumers want: access to products/sizes without a salesperson, virtual viewings of home furnishings before purchase, store-app-enabled shopping lists and fl oor maps. As retail shifts, the Bangor Mall adjusts of the mall Call

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