The Evolution Of The Mall: 'Mall-Mart'

"Wal-Mart at the mall -- once the province of department stores and specialty shops? Those days are long gone, and Wal-Mart isn't the only discounter that sees opportunity where much of America shops... Why the sudden rush to the mall? Mostly the discounters see it as a way to enter densely populated urban and suburban markets with minimal hassle. Strachan estimates that as many as 800 anchor spots in malls could turn over in the next decade -- with discounters snapping up 300 of them. "This is an incremental, opportunistic strategy to continue to fill in markets," says Lois Huff, senior vice-president at Retail Forward Inc., a Columbus (Ohio) consultancy."