Mall of America's Carrie Charleston - Where We Buy #380

Carrie Charleston is Vice President-Head of Leasing at Mall of America, the 5.6-million-square-foot shopping, entertainment, and dining destination in Bloomington, Minnesota, owned by Triple Five Group. Carrie discusses the wave of new brands debuting at Mall of America—from SKIMS and Alo Yoga to Pop Mart and Miniso—and the growing influence of Asian retail and K-pop culture on the tenant mix. She also covers the property's marquee entertainment offerings, including Nickelodeon Universe and Sea Life Aquarium, the rise of competitive socializing concepts like Activate and Escape Games, and plans for a future water park expansion. Charleston explains how social media and influencer culture drive foot traffic, and how Mall of America collaborates with sister properties West Edmonton Mall and American Dream to offer retailers a unique portfolio of mega-destinations. This interview was recorded at Entertainment Experience Evolution 2026, a conference by InterFace Conference Group, which is a division of France Media Inc. James Cook is the Director of Retail Research in the Americas for JLL.  Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify  Listen: WhereWeBuy.show  Email: [email protected]  YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here:  http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license.