The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the closing of malls as people fear venturing into enclosed spaces and touching merchandise that has likely been handled by hundreds of other shoppers, according to an industry expert.

“COVID accelerated the migration to online [shopping], and it’s accelerating the rationalization of the retail landscape, so, more stores will close within the next year or two, and more malls will come down in the next year or two,” said Marie Driscoll, managing director, luxury and fashion, at Coresight Research, a retail advisory and research firm.