NEW JERSEY - New Jersey is mall culture. From the opening of the Garden State Plaza to the pop culture fame of the Willowbrook Mall, the state was built on the idea that you could buy everything you needed under one roof. But in 2026, that roof is leaking—or being torn down entirely.
While the "super-regional" luxury malls continue to thrive on New York money, the middle-class family malls are facing a brutal reckoning. The combination of anchor store bankruptcies and a massive pivot toward "mixed-use" housing is literally erasing millions of square feet of retail space from the Garden State map this year.
Here is the breakdown of the retail shakeup hitting New Jersey in 2026.
The "De-Malling" of Monmouth
The biggest story of 2026 is happening in Eatontown.
- The Project: The Monmouth Mall is currently being dismantled. In its place, developers are building "Monmouth Square," an open-air town center that replaces the dark corridors of the 1990s with luxury apartments and a Whole Foods.
- The Reality: For locals who grew up hanging out at the food court, 2026 is the final goodbye. The transition proves that in modern New Jersey, the land is now worth more as apartments than as retail space.
The "Zombie" Watch: Livingston Mall
If there is a mall on life support in 2026, it is Livingston.
- The Blow: The mall has effectively lost its pulse with the confirmed departure of Barnes & Noble, which is moving to a nearby strip center.
- The Macy's Threat: As Macy's executes its strategy to close 150 "underperforming" stores, Livingston fits the profile perfectly. Local officials have already approved plans to rezone the site for high-density housing, signaling that the mall's days as a shopping destination are numbered.
The Pharmacy Vacuum: Rite Aid & Walgreens
The "corner drugstore" is becoming an endangered species in the suburbs.
- The Rite Aid Aftermath: Following the chain's total liquidation, towns in Ocean County and South Jersey are reeling. Residents in senior-heavy communities are facing longer drives and massive lines at the remaining CVS locations.
- Walgreens Pulls Back: It’s not just the bankrupt chains. Walgreens is closing underperforming locations in 2026, specifically targeting urban spots in Newark and Jersey City, creating "pharmacy deserts" where walkability is essential.
The Discount Squeeze: GameStop & Family Dollar
The "strip mall" anchors are also vanishing.
- GameStop: The video game retailer has shuttered multiple NJ locations in early 2026, including stores in Bayonne, Deptford, and Somers Point.
- Family Dollar: As the chain closes 1,000 stores nationwide, New Jersey's urban centers are taking a hit. Locations in Paterson and Blackwood have been targeted, removing a critical source of affordable household goods for working-class families.
The "Tale of Two Jerseys"
The divide has never been clearer.
- The Winners: If you shop at American Dream, Short Hills, or Garden State Plaza, retail is booming. Luxury brands are expanding, and parking lots are full.
- The Losers: But for the "B-List" malls—Moorestown, Rockaway, Brunswick Square—2026 is a fight for survival. They are pivoting to medical offices and condos because the retail math no longer works.
New Jersey retail in 2026 is no longer about shopping; it's about redevelopment. The era of the "middle-class mall" is over. In its place, we are getting two things: ultra-luxury destinations for the wealthy, and "town centers" with apartments for everyone else. The days of spending a Saturday just "walking the mall" in Eatontown or Livingston are officially history.
