“It’s not so cluttered, and customers can see the shoes better,” said Spring, as he watched the shoppers inside the Macy’s in the Westfield Garden State Plaza mall. The new system requires more labor.

Six years ago, Carson Pirie Scott left Randhurst Village, leaving a huge retail void at the Mount Prospect shopping center.

A eclectic group of stars — including reality TV’s Ariana Madix, Broadway belter Idina Menzel, hip-hop’s T-Pain, members of ...