Traditional Mall Anchors Are Fading Away

The American middle class is disappearing, and with it, the mall anchor store. The number of households living below the poverty level has doubled since 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Stamp Program. With that, disposable income has decreased. Off-price chain retailers such as Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls and T.J. Maxx, as well as high-volume, rock-bottom-priced, trendy upstarts such as H&M, Forever 21, and now Primark, are growing their footprints. Read more at The Philadelphia Inquirer.