Leisure hours: entertainment has become the largest category of shopping center tenants

For the first time in several years, clothing and shoe stores have ceased to be the largest category of tenants in new shopping malls, Izvestia has learned. In the first half of the year, their share decreased to 13% against 22% in 2025, while the share of entertainment formats doubled over the same period to 14%, the CMWP consulting company estimates. Against the background of a slowdown in consumer demand and a decrease in the activity of fashion retailers, developers are increasingly allocating space to leisure operators, food halls and other formats that can attract visitors and keep them in the shopping center longer. Unlike clothing and shoe stores, leisure formats cannot be transferred online, experts say. See the Izvestia article on how shopping malls adapt to changing consumer demand.

Why are developers reviewing the tenant structure in the mall

In the first six months of 2026, the share of clothing and shoe stores in new shopping malls was 13%, 9 percentage points less than in the same period a year earlier, the consulting company Commonwealth Partnership (CMWP) estimated. At the same time, the share of leisure formats doubled to 14%. As a result, entertainment has for the first time become the largest category of tenants in shopping malls built over the past two years, analysts say.

The redevelopment does not only affect newly opened facilities. In large shopping malls with an area of more than 100,000 square meters, the share of clothing and shoe stores decreased by 2 percentage points, to 38%, while the share of household goods increased by 8 percentage points, to 13%, and sporting goods — from zero to 4%, according to CMWP data. At the same time, grocery stores reduced their presence by 5 percentage points, to 11%. According to the company's analysts, this is due to the fact that large complexes are less and less focused on everyday demand. Regular shopping is increasingly being shut down by district formats, while large shopping malls need to attract visitors with rarer and more targeted purchases.

The decline in the activity of fashion retailers is due to the continuing difficult economic situation and more restrained consumer behavior, said Alexander Peremyatov, co-chairman of the Association of Retail Real Estate and Retail Experts (ATER), founder of the department stores of Russian designers Slava Concept.

According to NF Group estimates, in the first seven months of 2026, 47 Russian and foreign retailers announced a review of their market presence. Now the chains are focusing on the efficiency of existing stores — they are optimizing the space and closing the least effective points, said Evgenia Khakberdieva, regional director of the retail real estate department at NF Group. Thus, Stockmann plans to close up to five department stores over the next 12 months, and Gloria Jeans intends to reduce 150 outlets by the end of the year. Lime, which actively occupied the market after the departure of the Spanish Zara, also abandoned plans for further expansion. Detsky Mir is forced to send letters to landlords asking them to review the terms of lease agreements against the background of deteriorating financial results.

The reduction in the share of clothing stores was the result of an oversaturation of the market with new players in 2022-2023, who replaced the departed foreign brands, according to a report by Fashion Consulting Group (FCG). Dozens of new brands have entered this segment, and supply has begun to grow faster than demand, the company notes.

Get rid of complexes: every tenth shopping mall in Russia may close or change its profile

Why does this lead to higher prices for buyers and what will happen to the market next?

Why entertainment is becoming the main "anchor" in the shopping center

At the same time, entertainment formats practically do not compete with online commerce, Alexander Peremyatov noted. Increasing their share allows you to create additional reasons to visit the shopping center and increase the time spent by customers, says Evgenia Hakberdieva. This, in turn, can support the sales of other tenants, adds Alexander Peremyatov.

The growth in the share of entertainment reflects the forced reaction of shopping center owners to the departure or reduction of the presence of large tenants, said Polina Afanasyeva, head of the CMWP Research and Analytics department. According to her, shopping malls are gradually turning into public hubs, so food halls, fitness centers and entertainment operators naturally integrate into their structure. In addition, such formats are more difficult to convert to an online format than clothing and shoe stores, Evgenia Khakberdieva said. Therefore, the growth of their share among tenants speaks not only about the desire to increase traffic, but also about the need for the owners of shopping centers to adapt to changing consumer demand, Polina Afanasyeva added.

At the same time, the role of district shopping centers focused on services and daily demand is growing, says Elena Mikhailova, head of the analytical center at Parus Asset Management. According to CMWP, district complexes account for more than 70% of new construction in Moscow, and the average size of an commissioned facility has more than tripled over the past 10 years, to 12.4 thousand square meters. m. In Russia as a whole, this figure has decreased 2.5 times over the same period, to 12.8 thousand square meters. m.

By itself, the increase in entertainment areas does not guarantee traffic growth, said the Marketing Director of the Central House of Artists on Lubyanka (part of the Kievskaya Square Group of Companies) Maria Bezhanova. According to her, there are not many players in the market who make high-quality content and hold events for which people come to a particular space specifically. The top manager called the growth in the share of leisure formats a long-term structural trend, when competition is no longer only for the consumer's money, but also for his time and attention.

At the same time, it is too early to talk about a reversal in consumer activity, Alexander Peremyatov said. According to him, the attendance at the shopping center remains below last year's level. According to Focus Technologies, in the last week of August, traffic at such facilities was 1.8% lower than in the same period a year earlier.

The experts surveyed expect that the share of entertainment formats among the tenants of the shopping center will continue to grow. However, the possibilities for such a transformation depend on the type of facility, says Alexander Peremyatov. At the same time, classic retail is likely to retain the role of the "basic core" of the shopping center, and the "shops + leisure" format will remain dominant, Evgenia Khakberdieva believes.