MOBILE, Ala. — A major retailer is investing in Mobile’s Bel Air Mall with a newly expanded grocery section.
Target recently completed a major remodel at its Bel Air Mall location, including a significantly larger grocery department with fresh produce.
‘A Long Time Coming’
Jenna Berg, store director at the Bel Air Target, said the expanded grocery section has been a long-requested addition.
“It was a long time coming for the community. They have been asking for the grocery department for a very long time,” Berg said.
The new section gives shoppers another option for fresh food without having to leave the area for a full grocery trip.
That trip-consolidation point is the practical effect. A store with a partial grocery selection is a stop people make in addition to a supermarket run; a store with fresh produce and a full grocery department can be the only stop. For shoppers who are already at the mall, it removes a second errand.
Retail as Economic Development
The Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce says retail access can play a role in broader economic development.
“We got to make sure that we have good quality grocery stores in all of our neighborhoods, accessible to all of our neighbors that we have here,” said David Rodgers, president and CEO designate of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We need retail everywhere because that’s going to support housing. It’s going to support the jobs. It’s going to support the investments that are being made here in this economy,” Rodgers said.
The connection Rodgers draws between retail and housing runs in both directions. Grocery access is one of the factors households weigh when choosing where to live, and site selection teams for retailers weigh rooftop counts and household income when choosing where to build. Neither moves far without the other.
Rodgers said continued support from shoppers can help demonstrate demand for additional retail and restaurant investment.
“The only way we’re going to continue to get more of retail and restaurant scenes and more products out there for us is to support them,” Rodgers said.
That observation reflects how chain expansion decisions are actually made. Performance at existing locations is the primary input into whether a company opens more in a market. A store that outperforms projections makes the case for the next one; a store that underperforms makes the case against it.
What It Means for Bel Air Mall
Berg said she hopes the expanded Target will bring more families to the area and contribute to increased activity around Bel Air Mall.
“I do hope that it will bring more family traffic in,” Berg said, pointing to neighboring tenants and the foot traffic they generate. “Hopefully that will bring more foot traffic towards that side of town.”
The store’s remodel is part of continued investment in the shopping center as businesses look to attract more customers to the area.
Enclosed malls across the country have spent the past decade adapting to changes in how people shop, and the successful adaptations have generally involved adding uses that draw people on a routine rather than occasional basis — grocery, fitness, entertainment, dining and services. A weekly grocery trip is a fundamentally different traffic pattern from an occasional apparel purchase.
‘Something the Community Is Excited About’
“We can give that back to the community and the convenience and fresh food, and just something that the community is excited about,” Berg said.
The expanded grocery department is open at the Bel Air Mall Target location.