Westfield Labs Is on a Mission to Save Malls from Extinction

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The mall is in danger. Real estate and retail researchers expect anywhere from 15% to 50% of existing shopping malls to fail or convert into non-retail spaces within the next 10 to 20 years, the Business of Fashion reports. But Westfield Group's startup, Westfield Labs, and its global chief digital officer, Kevin McKenzie, aim to reverse this trend, starting with evolving the mall concept right here in SF.

"With Westfield, we started to reinvent [the shopping mall] experience several years ago," Kevin explains to BOF. "Our shopping centres, especially Westfield London and Westfield Stratford, are more than just shopping. They are a whole experience with entertainment, leisure, food, and shopping."

Although he doesn't name Westfield San Francisco at the forefront, McKenzie says that much of the beta testing begins here at home before rolling out to Westfield malls around the world. To see just exactly how Kevin and Westfield Lab plan to change the mall shopping experience, read the full story here.

· Kevin McKenzie on Reinventing the Shopping Mall [Business of Fashion]
· Westfield Labs Scouring the Globe for More Fashion Tech [Racked SF]