The Maine Mall is closing in on 100% occupancy with the addition of new tenants J. Crew and Lush Handmade Cosmetics this month. The South Portland shopping mall has more than 1 million square feet of retail space and will be fully occupied once temporary retailers open for the holiday season, the Portland Press Herald reported.
Craig Gorris, the mall's manager, told the newspaper the two retailers will occupy a total of 6,000 square feet and will have a positive impact on sales and merchandising.
Nationally, the average vacancy rate for regional shopping malls in the United States was 8.9% in the second quarter of this year, according to the real estate research firm Reis Inc. That compares with an 11-year high of 9.4% in the third quarter of 2011 and a low of 4.9% in the second quarter of 2001, according to Reis.