Wellness and leisure are displacing retail: how shopping centers in Tatarstan are changing in 2026.

      In Kazan's shopping centers, fitness centers and butterfly exhibitions are replacing stores

      Butterflies instead of shoes

      In 2026, large shopping centers continue to change their format. Instead of the usual clothing, footwear, and household appliance stores, tenants from the wellness, food service, entertainment, and educational sectors are increasingly taking their place. Analysts from Red Perfect particularly note the growing popularity of the wellness direction: fitness centers, sports sections, and health clusters are becoming the most sought-after tenants in shopping centers, capable of generating stable traffic regardless of seasonal fluctuations in demand for goods. A striking example of this approach is the Kazan shopping center "Frant," where the third floor has been transformed into a multifunctional sports area with a padel club, martial arts schools, dance studios, and a sports bar. In the "Yuzhny" shopping center, a live tropical butterfly exhibition has opened in place of the closed Zenden shoe store. Additionally, a "Cat Village" has appeared there—a space for family leisure with animal interaction and an exhibition called "Parrot House," where visitors can interact with birds. In the "Mega" shopping center, a DDX fitness club has opened instead of IKEA. Also in "Mega," an adventure park called "Misty Park" covering 3,500 square meters has started operating. Furthermore, until September, a multimedia interactive museum called "Wild Africa" is open there. Other shopping centers, in these challenging conditions, are looking for budget-friendly ways to retain traffic—such as focusing on interactive events. For instance, in "Republic," a pottery workshop and a computer club are now operating, and regular workshops for children on engineering, culinary, and creative topics are held. In "Gorki Park," a series of workshops titled "Design It Yourself" has been organized with the participation of instructors from the Institute of Design and Spatial Arts at KFU.

      Why are stores leaving shopping centers?

      Experts identify three main reasons why classic retail is gradually leaving shopping centers.

      Reason #1. Decline in consumer activity

      According to experts, the population is increasingly saving: people are updating their wardrobes less frequently and buying household appliances and furniture less often. "First of all, the overall macroeconomic situation leaves much to be desired. We are observing a decline in consumer activity across all product groups, including food," noted Vladimir Shaikhiyev, the general director of the consulting company A-Development. Vitalia Lvova, the general director of the marketing communications agency in the real estate sector Promotion Realty, pointed out that today's income levels are significantly lower than during the "fat" years of 2007-2008 and even the 2010s: "If the country's economy shifts to active growth, then consumer activity will start to increase. People will consume more and more frequently, as they did in 2007-2008, in the 2010s, and up until 2018. At that time, income levels were sufficient to update wardrobes more often, change items, and not skimp on quality and quantity of purchases. The level of consumption was of a completely different nature."

      Reason #2. Expansion of online retail

      Shoppers are moving online because prices are lower, the selection is broader, and delivery is often faster than a trip to the shopping center. Shaikhiyev calls this the second obvious driver of the "shopping center crisis," as online retail consistently takes traffic away and compresses the margins of traditional stores. Experts also highlight the problem of unequal competition. Yuri Chikirov, the general director of the company "ReAgency," points to the influence of gray imports on marketplaces. "Loopholes for unscrupulous suppliers on online platforms remain, and they engage in dumping, killing the business of legitimate retailers," he says. As a result, even large electronics and household appliance chains are reducing their spaces and reevaluating their presence in shopping centers.

      Reason #3. Tax burden

      In addition to nationwide problems, regional specifics add to the challenges. In the republic, a property tax of 2% of the cadastral value is set for facilities over 2,000 square meters, which is reassessed annually in an upward direction. "This rate is already significant in itself, but the problem is exacerbated by the annual reassessment of cadastral value—it grows exponentially, with the last increase being approximately 2.5 times. If before the New Year I estimated the time needed to 'recoup' this tax at 3-4 months, now this period has increased to 6-7 months. And besides the tax, there are also operating expenses, utility payments, payroll, and other costs," emphasized Vladimir Shaikhiyev, general director of the consulting company A-Development.

      What are shopping centers doing: two survival strategies

      In response to pressure, shopping center owners are applying two main approaches.

      Short-term strategy: event tenants as a "band-aid"

      Butterfly exhibitions, parrot shows, "cat villages"—these are so-called traffic-generating projects that come for a month or two, gather an audience, and leave. "This is essentially a 'band-aid' to cover vacant spaces. Such tenants come for a short period—from a month to half a year, gather their audience, and migrate to other cities and facilities. They are transient. Butterflies and parrots are a forced measure, not a sign of sustainable reformulation," explained Vitalia Lvova.

      Long-term strategy: forming thematic clusters

      A more fundamental approach is the allocation of entire floors for fitness, sports, dance, and education. Vladimir Shaikhiyev considers this direction logical, as the demand for a healthy lifestyle is relevant at the state level, but points out the difficulties: the cost of maintaining shopping centers is high, and they cannot offer low rental rates, while the margins of sports projects are significantly more modest. In addition to sports, dance studios, workshops, and a variety of leisure formats are in demand. Some shopping centers are even negotiating with educational institutions, but in this regard, much hinges on regulatory limitations—licensing requirements, particularly the mandatory presence of a separate entrance. Some developers are showing remarkable creativity. "Recently, an interesting piece of news came from Moscow: one shopping center has equipped an indoor pond for fishing. This is a very unconventional solution that simultaneously addresses several tasks: it fills the space, generates income, and attracts a target audience—men. Imagine: a family comes on a weekend, the wife shops, the child participates in a section, and the head of the family can fish peacefully. Such creative approaches are quite viable," noted Vladimir Shaikhiyev.

      Which formats are at risk, and which remain stable?

      Experts agree that the structure of tenants in large shopping centers is changing unevenly. The most problematic segment today is electronics and household appliances. "We see how once-massive electronics hypermarkets, such as 'M.Video,' are shrinking and reducing their spaces. I think that in the future, such facilities will either turn into warehouses or order pickup points, and the freed-up spaces will be occupied by other tenants. This is the logic of reformulation dictated by the times," said Yuri Chikirov.

      The situation is also not good for sports goods. Vitalia Lvova explained that the problem here is not so much a decline in demand as a sharp change in the structure of supply—after the departure of foreign brands, shopping centers lost half of the potential tenants who worked through Russian suppliers. Cinemas, which were once considered stable tenants due to large investments in equipment, have been hit the hardest—sanctions on rentals have effectively killed this segment. "This is a tenant that cannot leave quickly. When sanctions began and spread to rentals, naturally, tenants in this segment suffered very severely," noted Vitalia Lvova.

      At the same time, experts note that food products, children's goods, and food service remain stable points of traffic attraction.

      Which shopping centers are struggling the most?

      Experts agree that the retail real estate market is moving toward polarization: large shopping centers and small district-scale centers are faring the best. "Large super-regional shopping centers with a wide selection of stores, where traffic from the entire city converges, maintain stability due to a balance between goods, entertainment, and additional services. District shopping centers also feel relatively good because they cater to neighboring homes and ensure a daily flow through groceries, children's goods, fitness, and household services. However, the intermediate format—medium-sized shopping centers, neither district nor mega-malls—will experience the most discomfort. They will have to fight for tenants, who now have choices and can dictate terms they could only dream of before," said Vitalia Lvova.

      A successful example of competent management in Kazan is "Kazan Mall," where, according to Yuri Chikirov, they keep their finger on the pulse: they monitor the financial indicators of tenants, tie rental rates to turnover, allowing for the prompt replacement of those who "couldn't make it" from the waiting list. Vladimir Shaikhiyev considers the Kazan "Yuzhny" a flexible approach example—there, a butterfly park and a cat park have successfully emerged, and this willingness to experiment with formats, in the expert's opinion, deserves attention.

      Do shopping centers have a future: expert forecasts

      Vladimir Shaikhiyev reports that shopping center owners have approached the government for subsidies and tax breaks but received a refusal. As an alternative, he proposes a mechanism for subsidizing the difference in rental rates for socially significant projects. "Shopping centers have sought support from the government—they asked for subsidies, tax breaks, but, as far as I know, they were refused. If the demand for a healthy lifestyle is currently supported at the state level, I