Pop-ups Take Over For Malls Facing An Uncertain Post-Pandemic Future 02/26/21 AT 12:22 PM Business leaders are looking at short-term options and pop-up stores for area malls as part of a strategy to remain agile as the pandemic doldrums drag on. Macy’s this week said it made an aggressive move to slash inventory as part of a plan to close some 125 brick-and-mortar stores by 2023. Posting a rare profit during a fourth-quarter that saw mounting cases of COVID-19 in the pre-vaccine environment, the retailer said its digital sales were up some 21% from 2019. Reporting from CNBC on Friday found about 14% of the leases for retail market space, some 1.5 billion square feet, are set to expire this year. That leaves property owners such as Tanger Factory Outlets scrambling to fill the vacated space.