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bodhipooh t1_j7ugtv7 wrote

It's a subpar mall, with nothing in it that caters to the demographic that would spur Apple to open a location there. Not one high end store in that mall. It is very much a basic, middling mall.

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objectimpermanence t1_j7uwph1 wrote

Nowadays, Apple is practically a mass market brand disguised as a luxury brand.

Anyways, Queens Center has an Apple Store even though it’s a low/mid-tier mall.

If anything, Newport has more going for it considering it’s surrounded by some of the highest income census tracts in Hudson county. For example, the median household income in the Powerhouse area is over $200k. Meanwhile, Queens Center is in a solidly blue collar/middle class area.

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Xciv t1_j7vry0p wrote

Newport Mall is surrounded by money. Newport itself is a wealthy area. Hamilton Park to the west. Hoboken to the north. Downtown JC to the south. The light rail makes it accessible to more working class neighborhoods. The PATH station being the intersection point between the lines to midtown and downtown manhattan makes it accessible to commuters.

Honestly I expect it to be one of the last malls to close in America. The location is too good and it will probably remain profitable for a long time.

The American Dream mall wishes it had such a juicy location. That place feels like a ghost town every time I've been there.

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kulgan t1_j7wfbzh wrote

It's kind of a nightmare to walk to from any direction. Driving around here is bad.

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nk1 t1_j7xezx0 wrote

Marin's the only difficult part. It's an easy walk otherwise.

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According_Bee_945 t1_j7vaan2 wrote

Tell me about it 30k in property tax a year & I live in downtown Jersey City all my life

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Ezl t1_j7uudqn wrote

Agree regarding apple, but in a way in think malls like Newport may be more successful in the long run than “destination” malls.

Mall traffic generally has been declining for a while but, due to its location, Newport is really a combination of traditional mall and local neighborhood shopping in a fairly convenient (and walkable) location. I wonder if that will help them overcome the problems higher-end malls that require a “special trip” suffer from.

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objectimpermanence t1_j7vstn3 wrote

The high-end, “special trip” malls are doing the best. Upper income people are doing better than ever and they still want to buy luxury goods like Louis Vuitton bags in person.

It’s the lower and mid-tier malls that are struggling. The middle class is getting squeezed and people are happy to shift their spending to online shopping in search of deals.

I agree that Newport seems to be doing fairly well for itself. And I think the fact that it’s in a walkable area with good transit access is a big part of that.

But it will be interesting to see what happens if/when Newport loses its anchor tenants (Sears, JCPenny, & Macy’s). Those anchor tenants occupy huge spaces that are hard to re-lease.

Vacant anchor spaces are a huge financial drag on a mall and if that happens at Newport it will probably spur the complete redevelopment of the mall into a more modern mixed used concept.

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bodhipooh t1_j7v7kw2 wrote

>I wonder if that will help them overcome the problems higher-end malls that require a “special trip” suffer from.

Meh... Neither Short Hills nor Riverside Square seem to be suffering much at all, and they are exactly the type of mall you describe higher-end which require a special trip. They keep attracting luxury brand stores that cater to an affluent demographic that is less affected by economic downturns. I very much doubt anyone (besides you) would agree that Newport is likely to be more successful in the long run than either one.

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Ezl t1_j7vee6n wrote

First of all, what drives mall failures isn’t the economy it’s the internet. Secondly, malls are closing nationally at a rapid pace regardless of your two examples. And third, I never compared Newport to either of those two, I (quite obviously) compared Newport to the malls that are failing nationwide.

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bodhipooh t1_j7votqq wrote

Yes, shitty malls all over the nation are closing down. High end malls are doing just fine.

>I (quite obviously) compared Newport to the malls that are failing nationwide.

Well, not so obviously... you literally wrote "I wonder if that will help them overcome the problems higher-end malls that require a “special trip” suffer from" - higher end malls are not shutting down. if you read past the click-bait headlines you would actually understand that the contraction in malls is happening to low- and mid-tier malls. What the industry calls/terms C and D malls, and to some extent also B-rated malls. A and A+ malls are doing fine and actually seeing growth and expansion. You are simply wrong, but sure... you were obviously comparing Newport to failing malls and not the higher-end ones that require a special trip and which are actually not failing.

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Ezl t1_j7wklhu wrote

Jesus. Reddit never fails at attracting idiots who will create an argument out of nothing.

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thebruns t1_j7v0iyw wrote

Apple is in basic, middling malls all over the country

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bodhipooh t1_j7v8fr2 wrote

Whenever I have come across an Apple Store in a basic mall it is usually because it is the ONLY viable location in the area/region, or it is taking advantage of a very specific feature. Like the Apple Store in the Eastview Mall in Rochester. There is no other place where it would make sense to open an Apple Store in that region. Or, like the North Star Mall in San Antonio, which is heavily patronized by Mexicans from the northern states that drive to SA (or, Houston) on weekends to shop in those cities.

The Newport mall doesn't have any special features to attract an Apple Store. And, has been pointed out many times over by a lot of people, there are many Apple stores (4+) in NYC within 10-30 minutes of DTJC.

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pixel_of_moral_decay t1_j7vahdm wrote

You’ve got to be kidding you think Apple is still a high end brand. At least the parts of it that are sold through the retail channel.

Apple saturated middle schools regardless of demographics with their products. It’s as mainstream as General Mills products.

Apple doesn’t sell the expensive stuff out of most retail stores anyway. The high end configs that cost money are online exclusives. Best you can do is walk over to a device and order online, then go home and wait for it.

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bodhipooh t1_j7vmtk7 wrote

I never claimed that they are a high end brand. They are a company that produces mass market products at a markup to reflect design and a certain image. But, they certainly cater to a demographic representative of high end brands. A full one third of Apple customers are from households earning 100K or above, which is well above the national average. On average, an Apple Store averages between 6 and 7 thousand per square foot. The second highest revenue per square foot retailer is Tiffany, at half the amount of Apple.

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pixel_of_moral_decay t1_j7vrkcg wrote

Those are very selectively manipulated stats chosen to make apple look like a reality distortion field.

Apple has few stores relative to sales. By far the biggest disparity for any consumer manufacturer. Of course they have more sales per square foot/per retail employee/etc etc.

Which is mainly because they don’t need retail sales. They opened stores primarily for service and training (Apples big push has always been the Genius Bar and classes), but tax wise and zoning wise you’re incentivized to be retail space nearly everywhere. Teaching boomers how to switch to a Mac literally made them billions.

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milespudgehalter t1_j7x5xcs wrote

Wasn't Coach there for a while?

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bodhipooh t1_j7zchmx wrote

Yup, it was years ago. Not sure what point you are trying to make, though... I wouldn't consider Coach as an upscale, high-end brand.

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milespudgehalter t1_j7zosnm wrote

Their non-outlet stores are definitely high end.

Newport has Swarovski as well, and Express which I'd call upper-middle class tier. The mall isn't fancy but I don't think I'd call it down market and working class to the extent people here are. Jersey Gardens and Woodbridge are the "working class" malls of the area moreso than Newport.

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bodhipooh t1_j7zyq0w wrote

>Newport has Swarovski as well, and Express which I'd call upper-middle class tier.

Yeah.. no. Absolutely no one knowledgeable thinks of Swarovski and Express as upper middle class stuff. AT ALL. None of these are upscale, high-end brands.

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