American retailers' adoption of cart escalators--long popular in Europe--could open up new possibilities for creating urban stores
American retailers are beginning to adopt escalators for shopping carts, long used in Europe. This means that even cart-based "big box" retailers can develop multi-level stores. That in turn means that more urban sites--previously deemed "too small" for major retail--could become feasible again. As suburban malls have become increasingly saturated, national retailers have shown new interest in urban locations. While no one expects the return of the vertical department store, cart escalators could help the trend towards more urban stores.
Thanks to Nathan Landau
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