The Reason Amazon Is Converting A Dead Mall Into An Ecommerce Fulfillment Center

First of all, because it's cheap. Second, because Amazon gets reputational credit for bringing back jobs to an area its own business practices killed.

And third, which is purely speculative, because there are probably some inside the company who savor the symbolism. JL


Hayley Peterson and Kate Taylor report in Business Insider:

The e-commerce giant announced plans to open two fulfillment centers in Ohio. Each fulfillment center — one in Akron, one in Rossford — will cover more than 700,000 square feet, creating more than 2,500 total jobs. The Akron fulfillment center will sit on the site of the shuttered Rolling Acres Mall. The Rolling Acres Mall became a symbol of the retail apocalypse as retailers abandoned the site due to declining traffic. The building became a target for criminal activity, and the body of an apparent murder victim was found behind the mall in 2011.
Amazon is bringing jobs back to the site of one of America's most infamous dead malls.
On Monday, the e-commerce giant announced plans to open two fulfillment centers in Ohio. Each fulfillment center — one in Akron, one in Rossford — will cover more than 700,000 square feet, creating more than 2,500 total jobs in the area.
The Akron fulfillment center will sit on the site of the shuttered Rolling Acres Mall.
The Rolling Acres Mall became a symbol of the retail apocalypse as retailers abandoned the site due to declining traffic. The building became a target for criminal activity, and the body of an apparent murder victim was found behind the mall in 2011. The mall was finally shut down in 2013, after years of decline. The city of Akron destroyed the mall in 2016.
"We are excited to have Amazon build on to its already strong business relationship with Ohio by selecting the City of Akron for its new facility," Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said in a statement. "Once completed, this fulfillment center will provide even more opportunities for good jobs to people seeking employment in and around Akron."