MINNEAPOLIS _ The Mall of America is postponing its planned reopening of retail stores on Monday due to the community unrest following the death of George Floyd.
The megamall in Bloomington said it will announce a new date once it is finalized. It also has suspended curbside pickup at the mall.
The mall has restricted access to the building through at least Sunday to ensure the safety of employees.
"Many of our tenants were planning on using this weekend to prepare their stores and train their employees for reopening," the mall said in a statement. "With no access to the building, that will not be possible. By delaying our reopening date, it will give mall retailers additional time to prepare."
Most shopping malls around the Twin Cities reopened last week after Gov. Tim Walz gave retail stores the go ahead after being closed for nearly two months during the pandemic. But not all stores within the malls have reopened.
The Mall of America had decided to wait longer to reopen to get all of its safety protocols in place and to coordinate with its 500-plus tenants. Still, only a fraction of its shops were expected to reopen on Monday.
The mall, like many retail businesses, has struggled financially during the pandemic. Officials confirmed last week that it has not been making full mortgage payments and said the mall's revenue has dropped 85% since mid-March when it closed its doors.
