The Retail Absorption of Sears and Target's Former Store Portfolio: Examining the Spatial Consequences of Long-Term Vacancies in Shopping Centres Across Canada

The study uses sociodemographic and shopping centre data to classify shopping centres across Canada with former Sears and Target properties by occupancy. This paper uses three methods: descriptive, statistical and spatial analysis to identify what endogenous and exogenous factors are strong or weak predictors of occupancy, as well as examine what spatial consequences are related to long-term vacancies in shopping centres. The results indicate population, income, the size of the shopping centre, the total estimated size of the site, and the configuration of the space to be important variables towards higher occupancy for shopping centres with former Sears and Target properties. Overall, the study was able to provide more groundwork for future studies on long-term vacancies in shopping centres. Keywords: Sears, Target, Shopping Centres, Vacancy, Canada