Scottsdale Fashion Square is my local mall. It is very successful and constantly crowded. However, I think Macerich has struggled to find a tenant for the big space that Barney’s exited some time ago.

A shared working space is a sensible solution. I know a lot of people who work from home or work independently who would use such a facility. I just hope that they have a range of working options which are very flexible to allow for all working needs.

No, it doesn’t. Malls need customer traffic. To rent out bigger mall space to coworking office can only be a nice add-on my opinion. Malls need to look for solutions that create customer traffic. I see more e-commerce players who are trying out physical store solutions like fitness centers and other formulas that would drive more traffic to the mall than a coworking office. With less traffic, the remaining store tenants will simply die off over time in that mall.

Mall operators, keenly aware of the dwindling number of store locations in their malls, are aggressively trying new avenues to keep spaces filled and revenue flowing. I suspect that they will continue to throw things against the wall and see what sticks. They can experiment and determine what works, what consumers just love and what is a learning experience that doesn’t work.

Successful mall owners are looking for more and interesting experiences to offer and this sounds like a good one. The shared office space business is growing and this is a great way to accommodate both the malls and the need for affordable space. Assuming it is indeed affordable. Is this concept going to work for every mall? No, but it is great option to consider if the shoe fits. For my 2 cents.

One must be realistic about their strategy. If the strategy is to fill space to replace retailers (which is critical) focus on that. Do not pretend that you are bringing new shoppers to the mall. Yes, some users of the co-working space will buy lunch, pick up supplies and do a little convenience shopping, but we are talking about a little.

Focus on filling the space — co-working, fitness centers, movie theaters, anything that pays some rent. Do not fool yourself that this will create a retail turnaround in your mall.

Those big empty stores aren’t going to fill themselves, and it’s unlikely that existing retailers will step up to fill them. It makes sense for malls to seek unconventional tenants like grocers and co-working spaces. Let’s hope these tenants will be enough to bring new traffic to the existing retailers.

We moved our offices to Main Street because we wanted to be around retailers; co-working at a mall sounds like a good time to me.

I strongly agree with Chris Buecker’s comments. This will have a limited affect on mall businesses UNLESS they are a dry cleaner or convenience mart (but only if there are a good number of workers occupying spaces).

I know for mall owners it’s a revenue generator, but I don’t think this kind of tenancy can create the magic needed to convince any retailer to invest and sign a lease. It certainly is not the long-term answer for a mall.

This is a welcome development, as the sharing and global economy are increasing the sheer number of remote workers. In addition, with all of our digital connectedness and the ability to work offsite, we should expect the amount of remote virtual office work to increase 30 percent to 40 percent in the next several years.

In the effort to meet this increasing need, malls such as the one owned by Macerich, have a prime opportunity to redefine their purpose, provide an affordable flexible option for this remote workforce and in part help to make the mall a relevant and lively place again.

We have seen companies such as Spacious in NYC partner with restaurants to provide remote workspace solutions during the off hours, so why can’t malls follow suit? Now if you add a top-level gym, an upgraded food court and unlimited cold brew, then people will flock back to the malls and maybe even go to one of the retailers there.

Some ideas just make sense and this is one of them. Coworking spaces are a popular option for a lot of workers, malls have space and usually are well-located with lots of nearby transport connections (and parking) so why not? The set-up helps to bring a new mix of people into the mall and hopefully this will translate into higher spends in the other stores in the space. I can see that coffee shops located in malls with coworking space will do well. I am not so sure about massively changing the retail mix to suit people using the coworking spaces though — remember these aren’t just people who do work but have families, holidays, anniversary, hobbies and interests and more to buy for. I think malls should focus on having a good retail mix that’s attractive for their core customer base in general.

WeWork is booming! The 9 to 5 model for many does not exist. All generations of workers have made the move to remote work. Not a new concept. Over the past decade, retailers have struggled, some collapsing upon themselves. Most malls are cavernous, with acres of free parking, accommodated by being a destination usually requiring a car or other form of transportation.

Will malls be the new go-to space for co-working? It depends. Malls are diametrically the opposite of inner-city walking, biking neighborhoods, where workers can imbibe coffee in quaint and cozy settings to talk shop. No doubt there will be a few malls, creative enough to attract and compete with WeWork’s inner city concept. Otherwise, it is all just more traditional office space.

Yes, yes and YES! Innovation is the driver of success. Mall management has got to get creative with all the vacant space across the country. Sure, there are some very successful all-retail malls, however, the big picture shows that evolution toward the ideas mentioned in this article is the key to future growth.