Big-box store is a term that refers to a style of physically large chain store, and by extension to the company behind the store. Chain stores are Retail outlets that share a Brand and central management and usually have standardized business methods and practices The terms superstore, megastore, and supercenter also refer to these retail establishments.
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Characteristics
Typical characteristics include the following:
- Large, free-standing, rectangular, generally single-floor structure built on a concrete slab. The flat roof and ceiling trusses are generally made of steel, the walls are concrete block clad in metal or masonry siding. The M acro E xpansion T emplate A ttribute L anguage complements TAL, providing macros which allow the reuse of code across Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar, and the term "masonry" can also refer to the units themselves
- Floor space several times greater than traditional retailers in the sector; in North America, generally more than 50,000 square feet (4650 m²), sometimes approaching 200,000 square feet (18,600 m²), though varying by sector and market. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. The square foot is an Imperial unit / US customary unit (non- SI non- metric) of Area, used mainly in the United States M^2 redirects here For other uses see M². CM2 redirects here In countries where space is at a premium, such as the UK, the relevant numbers are a fraction of that.
- Location in suburban or rural areas, often in proximity to freeway cloverleaf intersections, as opposed to downtown shopping districts. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. Rural areas can be large and isolated (also referred to as "the country" and/or "the countryside over the course of time Downtown is a term primarily used in North America to refer to a city's core usually in a geographical commercial and community sense
This design provides space for a large amount of merchandise and serves as an enormous billboard to attract customers. It is particularly favored by volume discount retailers.
Types
Generally, big-box stores can be broken down into two categories: general merchandisers, such as Wal-Mart and Target, and so-called category killers—such as Home Depot, Barnes and Noble, or Circuit City—which specialize in goods within a specific range, such as hardware, books, or electronics. Wal-Mart Stores Inc (or Walmart as written in its new logo is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large discount department stores Target Corporation ( is an American Retailing company that was founded in Minneapolis Minnesota in 1902 Category killer is a term used in Marketing and Strategic management to describe a product, service, Brand, or company The Home Depot ( is an American Retailer of Home improvement and construction products and services Barnes & Noble Inc is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of Bookstores Circuit City ( is an American dealer and retailer in brand-name consumer electronics personal computers and entertainment software Hardware stores sell Hardware: for instance Fasteners keys, locks, Hinges Wire, chains Plumbing A Book is a set or collection of written printed illustrated or blank sheets made of Paper, Parchment, or other material usually fastened together Electronics refers to the flow of charge (moving Electrons through Nonmetal conductors (mainly Semiconductors, whereas electrical In recent years, many traditional retailers—such as Tesco and Praktiker—have opened stores in the big-box-store format in an effort to compete with big box-chains, which are expanding internationally as their home markets reach maturity. Tesco plc is a British -based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain Praktiker ( is a German hypermarket chain offering home improvement and do-it-yourself goods [1]
Criticism
Opponents criticize big boxes especially for being visually overbearing, wasteful of open space, and deleterious to community and small businesses. In recent years, particularly in Canada, commercial developers have chosen to build big box stores (often grouped together in so-called "power centres") in lieu of traditional shopping malls. A power centre (or power center, also known as a retail park) is an unenclosed shopping centre with to of Gross leasable area that usually contains A shopping mall or shopping centre is a building or set of buildings that contain Retail units with interconnecting Walkways enabling visitors Examples include Deerfoot Meadows (Calgary), Preston Crossing (Saskatoon) and South Edmonton Common (Edmonton).
Big box stores in various countries
Hong Kong
To contend against Carrefour, PARKnSHOP opened the first superstore in 1996. Carrefour SA ( (karˈfur is a French international Hypermarket chain with a global network of outlets PARKnSHOP ( is one of the two largest Supermarket chains in Hong Kong (the other is Wellcome Supermarket) Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) The concept of a wet market was applied to this store. A wet market is generally an open food market Some of the common names include "Cultural Markets", "traditional markets", "Gaai Si" The store emphasizes one-stop shopping. Today, PARKnSHOP has more than 50 superstores and megastores, making it the largest superstore network in Hong Kong. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders Relatively, the first Wellcome superstore was opened in 2000 and Welcome has only 17 superstores. Wellcome ( in Hong Kong; 頂好 in Taiwan) is a Supermarket chain owned by Jardine Matheson Holdings via its Dairy Farm subsidiary 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. CRC also has four superstores.
However, as Hong Kong is very densely populated, the sizes of superstores are relatively smaller than in other countries. Some superstores are running at a loss (such as Chelsea Heights) and therefore stopped selling fresh fish. Chelsea Heights is a Suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Also, the superstores are often crowded and some PARKnSHOP superstores and megastores include Fortress World, which belongs to the same corporation, Hutchison Whampoa.
There are also some high-class superstores, such as Taste in Festival Walk. Is a concept in Sociology that refers to the group of people at the top of a Social hierarchy. PARKnSHOP ( is one of the two largest Supermarket chains in Hong Kong (the other is Wellcome Supermarket) Festival Walk is an upmarket Shopping centre in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong owned by Swire Pacific.
United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland
In the UK and Ireland large warehouse style general merchandise stores along the lines of U. S. superstores are not a traditional part of the retail sector. In Ireland, Dunnes Stores have traditionally had a supermarket-plus-household-and-clothes model and now have some large stores. Dunnes is a Supermarket and clothing retail chain based in the Republic of Ireland. Some large-scale retailers are developing, e. g. , Tesco Extra stores in the UK, and the largest branches of ASDA, but these are supermarkets which have evolved into hypermarkets selling a broader range of non-food goods. Tesco plc is a British -based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain Asda is a United Kingdom Supermarket chain which retails food clothing and general merchandise Customer divider barjpg|thumb|In supermarkets sellers periodically change prices for classes of goods in response to market conditions rather than negotiating the price of each good In Commerce, a hypermarket is a superstore which combines a Supermarket and a Department store. The term superstore is not much used in the UK or Ireland. When it is used, it may refer to a supermarket that is larger than a convenience store but smaller than a hypermarket, but such establishments are nearly always referred to as "supermarkets" in practice. A convenience store is a small store or shop. They are often located alongside busy roads or at gas/petrol stations. In Commerce, a hypermarket is a superstore which combines a Supermarket and a Department store. It is also sometimes used by non-food retailers for stores which are larger than their normal store, in which case the meaning varies from company to company, but usually bears no resemblance to the U. S. definition. It is mainly used by downmarket retailers and confers little prestige. Downmarket products are goods targeted at lower-income Consumers.
Across Britain and Ireland, large-scale shopping malls on the edges of towns and cities, containing "hypermarket" (e. g. , large ASDA or Dunnes Stores) anchor stores are increasingly popular, since the 1980s in the UK and the early 1990s in Ireland. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999
Canada
Apart from major American big-box stores such as Wal-Mart Canada, and Home Depot, there are many retail chains operating exclusively in Canada. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Wal-Mart Canada is the Canadian unit of Wal-Mart and was founded in 1994 in Mississauga Ontario with the purchase of the Canadian Woolco The Home Depot ( is an American Retailer of Home improvement and construction products and services These include stores such as Zellers/Home Outfitters, Loblaws/Real Canadian Superstore, Rona, Winners/Homesense, Sport Chek, Canadian Tire/Mark's Work Wearhouse, Shoppers Drug Mart, and many others. Zellers Inc is Canada 's second-largest chain of mass merchandise Department stores, with 282 locations in communities across Canada. Home Outfitters is Canada 's largest specialty Superstore home goods chain with 60 stores across the country selling bedding towels housewares and other home Loblaws is a Supermarket chain of 68 stores in Canada, headquartered in Brampton, with stores across Real Canadian Superstore is a chain of Hypermarkets owned by Canadian food retailing giant Loblaw Companies. Winners is a chain of off-price Canadian department stores owned by TJX Companies. HomeSense is a chain of off price home furnishing stores operated by TJX Companies. Sport Chek ( TSX: FGL is the largest Canadian Retailer of Sporting Clothing, Sports equipment and equipment Repair Canadian Tire Corporation Limited ( is one of Canada's 35 largest publicly traded companies and operates an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retailing (hardgoods apparel Mark's Work Wearhouse is a Canadian Clothing Retailer. First opened in Calgary Alberta in 1977 by Mark Blumes, a former retail executive Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation ( is Canada 's largest Pharmacy chain with more than 1000 stores operating under the names Shoppers Drug Mart
The indigenous Loblaw Companies Limited has expanded and multiplied its Real Canadian Superstore (and Maxi & Cie in Quebec) branded outlets to try to fill any genuine big-box market and fend off the damaging competition that a large Wal-Mart penetration would inflict on Canadian-based retailers. Loblaw Companies Limited ( (LCL is the largest Retailer in Canada, with over 1690 Supermarkets operating under a variety of regional banners including Real Canadian Superstore is a chain of Hypermarkets owned by Canadian food retailing giant Loblaw Companies. Maxi is a Grocery Retailer based in Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1984 it is a Subsidiary of Loblaw Companies Limited
There are currently more than 300 power centres, which usually contain multiple big-box stores, located throughout Canada. A power centre (or power center, also known as a retail park) is an unenclosed shopping centre with to of Gross leasable area that usually contains
United States
In the United States, a superstore is usually a type of department store, equivalent to the European term hypermarket. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A department store is a Retail establishment which specializes in selling a wide range of products without a single predominant merchandise line. In Commerce, a hypermarket is a superstore which combines a Supermarket and a Department store. However sometimes it refers to specialist category killer retailers. Category killer is a term used in Marketing and Strategic management to describe a product, service, Brand, or company
Usually associated with large chains such as Target and Wal-Mart, a superstore sells a wide range of products, from toys and electronics to clothing and groceries and even furniture, sporting goods and automotive supplies. Target Corporation ( is an American Retailing company that was founded in Minneapolis Minnesota in 1902 Wal-Mart Stores Inc (or Walmart as written in its new logo is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large discount department stores This article is about playthings For other uses of the term see Toy (disambiguation. Electronics refers to the flow of charge (moving Electrons through Nonmetal conductors (mainly Semiconductors, whereas electrical Clothing (also called clothes, accoutrements, accouterments, or habiliments) protects the Human body from extreme Weather A grocery store is a store established primarily for the Retailing of Food. Furniture is the Mass noun for the movable objects which may support the human body (seating furniture and beds, provide storage or hold objects on horizontal Sports equipment is a general term for any object used for Sport or Exercise. These types of stores advertise "one stop shopping", where customers can stop just once at their store and buy everything they need or want. Most superstores are located on a single level, as opposed to many department stores which are often multi-leveled. A department store is a Retail establishment which specializes in selling a wide range of products without a single predominant merchandise line.
Meijer is generally credited with pioneering the superstore concept in the United States. Meijer ( Dutch, ˈmaɪər is a regional American Hypermarket chain based in Walker Michigan. The first Meijer Superstore opened in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1962 (In contrast, Wal-Mart didn't open its first Superstore until 1988). Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Wal-Mart Stores Inc (or Walmart as written in its new logo is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large discount department stores Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar)
Superstores should not be confused with warehouse club stores, such as Sam's Club, Costco, and BJ's Wholesale Club. A warehouse club is a Retail store, usually selling a wide variety of Merchandise, in which customers pay annual membership fees in order to shop Sam's Club is an American chain of membership-only retail Warehouse clubs Founded in 1983 it is owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores Inc Costco Wholesale Corporation ( is the largest membership Warehouse club chain in the world based on sales volume headquartered in Issaquah Washington, BJ's Wholesale Club Inc ( is a membership-only Warehouse club chain operating on the United States East Coast, as well as in the state of Ohio. While many superstores are as large as some warehouse stores, superstores do not require the customer to purchase large quantities of items. The superstores provide the bulk breaking that warehouse stores lack.
The term "superstore" is also used for some large specialist retailers, such as Home Depot which fills the gap of building supplies in other superstores by supplying just those items in their stores. The Home Depot ( is an American Retailer of Home improvement and construction products and services Another example is Fry's Electronics which stocks mostly high technology/electronics items, with occasional house appliances. Fry's Electronics is a specialty Retailer of Software, Consumer electronics, Computer hardware and household appliances with a chain of
New Zealand
The Big-box phenomenon hit New Zealand in the late 1980s, with the introduction of Kmart Australia, and later the "Warehouse" superstore, a local company. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Kmart Australia is a discount department store chain that operates in Australia (and New Zealand trading as Kmart New Zealand The Warehouse, ( founded by Stephen Tindall in 1982 is the largest Department store Retailer operating in New Zealand.
India
India is currently going through a retail revolution with the introduction of Big Bazaar in 2001.
See also
- List of superstores
- Category killer
- Hypermarket
- Power centre
- Supplier convergence
- Warehouse club
- Warehouse store
References
- ^ CQ Researcher: Big-Box Stores. This is a list of Big-box stores by country Multi-national Auchan Babies "R" Us (Baby Clothes Category killer is a term used in Marketing and Strategic management to describe a product, service, Brand, or company In Commerce, a hypermarket is a superstore which combines a Supermarket and a Department store. A power centre (or power center, also known as a retail park) is an unenclosed shopping centre with to of Gross leasable area that usually contains Supplier convergence is a term used to describe the ongoing trend of companies offering a combination of services or products that were previously supplied by separate companies A warehouse club is a Retail store, usually selling a wide variety of Merchandise, in which customers pay annual membership fees in order to shop A warehouse store, as opposed to a Warehouse club, is a Retail location with a limited variety of merchandise sold in bulk at a discount Congressional Quarterly Inc, or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress September 10, 2004.
External links
- Howard, Theresa, "Big-box stores squeeze into Big Apple," USA Today, October 18, 2004
- Big Box Sprawl PDF from the National Trust for Historic Preservation
- bigboxreuse. USA TODAY is a national American daily Newspaper published by the Gannett Company. Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by Congressional charter to support preservation com [1] Site about how big boxes are reused after retailers abandon them for larger buildings.
- "Big Box Mart" by JibJab
- "Big box retailers versus boutique shops" by TV3 (New Zealand)
- "The Big Box" parody of Big Box stores
- "Big Box Watch" website tracking new retail construction of big box retailers
- Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) for information about solutions to big box sprawl
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