Shift to shorter commercial leases creates niche for temporary pop-up activities

E-commerce has made it possible to order almost anything online, but that has made it more challenging for brick-and-mortar retailers to attract shoppers and with more stores sitting vacant, some shopping malls have gotten creative, and added temporary pop-up activities like roller skating and haunted houses. Before the pandemic, commercial landlords demanded multi-year leases, said Charles de Brabant, executive director at McGill University’s Bensadoun School of Retail Management. But with the industry undergoing a transformational change, that strategy no longer makes sense.