Mall Vacancies Climb to Highest in Decade as U.S. Retailers Close Stores
By Hui-yong YuVacancies at U.S. regional malls rose to the highest level in at least a decade in the first quarter, a sign that landlords are struggling to keep tenants after the recession even as retail sales rise, Reis Inc. said.
The vacancy rate climbed to 9.1 percent from 8.9 percent a year earlier and 8.7 percent in the fourth quarter, the New York-based research firm said in a report today. It was the highest since Reis began publishing data on regional malls in the beginning of 2000…