The history of American retailing is fascinating.
In 1900, the retail landscape was dominated by local stores selling
local products. Production was therefore small.
With completion of the railroads, came the big catalog outlets:
Sears. Montgomery Ward.
But, with this new MASS DISTRIBUTION came the opportuntity for NATIONAL BRANDING.
National Branding began early with Patent Medicines, aka "snake oil."
But soon expanded into basic goods like flour (Gold Metal), Cooking
Oil, (Mazolla), Baking Soda, (Calumet), and Nerve Tonics, (Coke and
Dr Pepper)!
So, you then had local stores selling local goods; and some nationally branded products.
Then, in the 1920's, THE STORES, NOT THE PRODUCTS, BECAME "BRANDED!"
This was the advent of J.C. Penny, and the CHAIN STORE PHENOMENON.
Basically, big city stores grew UP! And, became DOWNTOWN DEPARTMENT STORES.
And, small city stores grew OUT! And, became CHAIN STORES.
PENNY'S WAS A SMALL TOWN STORE AT FIRST; JUST LIKE WALMART!
OK, FAST FORWARD TO TODAY:
SUPER WALMARTS ARE STARTING TO RESEMBLE THE OLD BIG CITY DEPARTMENT
STORES. EVERYTHING FROM DRY GOODS, FOOD, HAIR STYLING, BANKING, ALL
UNDER ONE ROOF.
AND THE MALLS, WHICH MOVED "MAIN STREET" TO THE SUBURBS, AND PUT A
ROOF OVER IT, ARE STARTING TO BE CHALLENGED BY:
BIG BOX CLUSTER STORES!
Increasingly, you see these catagory killer "BIG BOX" stores all
congregating in ONE SPOT! BIG BOX CLUSTERS.
FIND A BED, BATH AND BEYOND; AND CAN BORDERS, OR BARNES & NOBEL BE FAR AWAY? OF COURSE NOT!
AND A BEST BUY! HOME DEPOT! STARBUCKS!
LATELY, IT SEEMS THAT "BIG BOX CLUSTERS" ARE REPLACING THE MALLS ALL
OVER AMERICA.
And, Malls are being slowing reduced to the kind of "boutique style"
small stores that can't give the consumers wide choices at low prices.
CONCLUSION?
MALLS HAVE BECOME LIKE THE OLD MAIN STREET STORE! THE KISS OF DEATH FOR RETAILERS.
AND, THE BIG BOX CLUSTER STORES HAVE BECOME THE "NEW MALLS!"
