American retail as we know it is dying — and now these industries are taking over

The Business Insider reports:

For a long time, malls were dominated by brands like Sears, Gap, and Abercrombie & Fitch.

But the tide is turning in retail.

Big apparel brands are grappling with shoppers who increasingly want deeply discounted clothes over classic logos and status.

Gap is closing one-quarter of its stores and laying off hundreds of workers after disappointing sales. J. Crew just fired 10% of the workers at its corporate headquarters as sales and profits continue to plunge.

The teen-apparel market is also struggling as a whole, with big-name players like Abercrombie & Fitch and Aeropostale closing stores.

Sears, Macy's, and JCPenney have also shuttered hundreds of store locations in recent years.

More than two dozen malls have shut down in the last four years and another 60 malls are on the brink of death, The New York Times reported, citing Green Street Advisors, a real estate and real-estate investments trust analytics firm.

The changing mall.