Thriving Mall Of America Expands
Though many traditional malls are struggling to compete against the new lifestyle centers, the Mall of America is thriving, with plans to more than double in size over the next few years.
Lara Fuller

The second phase of the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, will feature an open-air entertainment district and a 6,000-seat performing arts theater.

With hundreds of stores and restaurants, the nation’s largest indoor amusement park and a 1.2 million-gallon aquarium, the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States. And now, the largest mall in the country is about to get even bigger. Plans are currently underway for a 5.6 million-square-foot expansion project, bringing the total square footage of the Mall of America to more than 9.8 million square feet.

At a time when many traditional enclosed malls are closing, the Mall of America is more popular than ever. “The Mall of America is so unique because it is so much more than just a mall,” says Daniel Jasper, director of public relations with the Mall of America. “It is a retail and entertainment destination that attracts more than 40 million visitors every year — including more than 2.5 million international visitors.” The combination of unique entertainment venues, and a plethora of stores and restaurants has enabled the Mall of America to thrive when many existing malls are being torn down or converted.

The Mall of America has been able to withstand the move away from enclosed centers by offering more than just shopping. Many of the entertainment venues, including the amusement park and aquarium, are draws all on their own. The Mall of America is not just a shopping center, it is a destination. “The Mall of America differentiates itself from a typical mall because, with the nation’s largest indoor amusement park, the nation’s largest underground aquarium, 520 shops, unique retail concepts and non-stop events, the Mall of America is an experience and a tourist destination,” Jasper says.

Plans for the second phase at the Mall of America call for a town center. The complex is developing lifestyle-modeled components to compete with the open-air centers that have drawn consumers away from traditional enclosed malls in recent years.

The idea for the original Mall of America development began more than 20 years ago. “The property where the Mall of America currently stands had formerly been occupied by professional sports arenas — the homes of the Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Twins,” Jasper notes. “When the teams moved to downtown Minneapolis, the plot of land was left vacant. The city of Bloomington then put a request for proposal worldwide and received several unique concepts. After much deliberation, they decided to go with the Triple Five Corporation out of Canada and to build the nation’s largest retail/entertainment complex.” The mall first opened on August 11, 1992. Since that time, the mall has hosted more than 500 million visitors.

The new expansion project, known as Phase II, will feature everything from an ice rink to a water park and will only serve to bring more visitors to the site. The second phase of development was something that was planned from the very beginning. “Plans for the expansion have been a part of the master plan since before the mall even opened,” Jasper explains. The master plan originally called for additional attractions, retail and hotels to be added at a later date. Now, construction on the second phase of the Mall of America is expected to begin by the end of the year.

When complete in approximately 38 to 40 months, the expansion is expected to include five hotels, including a family-oriented water park hotel; a dinner theater; a 6,000-seat performing arts theater; 50,000 square feet of museum-quality exhibit space; an entertainment district; a roller coaster; an NHL-sized ice rink; a driving range; a culinary school; and a town center.

One of the largest stores to open as a part of Phase II is the Bass Pro Shops superstore. Springfield, Missouri-based Bass Pro Shops is planning to construct a 300,000-square-foot outdoor superstore featuring an extensive boat showroom. Other features at the Bass Pro store will include climbing walls, waterfalls, an aquarium, laser galleries and archery ranges.

IKEA has already opened a 300,000-square-foot store as a part of the expansion, complete with 75 different room settings, three model homes, a children’s play area and a 320-seat restaurant.

One of the original restaurant concepts that will be a part of Phase II is the 13,000-square-foot Cantina Corona, the first restaurant created by the Corona brand.

San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels is planning to construct a $40 million hotel on the Mall of America grounds. The 8-story luxury boutique hotel will feature approximately 200 rooms.

For sports lovers, there will be a sports-related avenue featuring sporting goods stores, waterfalls, gardens and seating areas. The incorporation of lifestyle-center type elements, such as outdoor walkways and seating, will allow the mall to compete with other open-air centers.

“The Mall of America is successful because of its unique retail/entertainment mix,” Jasper says. “It is also successful because of its commitment to remaining fresh and to reinvesting in the building itself. This same philosophy will continue with the expansion of Phase II as well.”

The Mall of America is partly a traditional, enclosed mall, but it is also a lifestyle center and entertainment destination. With the success of the first phase and the addition of the second, the Mall of America is an example of how a mall can still compete and thrive in the United States. The center is owned and managed by Edmonton, Alberta, Canada-based Triple Five Group of Companies.


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