A power centre (or power center[1], also known as a retail park) is an unenclosed shopping centre with 250,000 square feet (23,000 m2) to 750,000 square feet (70,000 m2) of gross leasable area[2] that usually contains three or more big box retailers and various smaller retailers (usually located in strip malls) with a common parking area shared among the retailers. It is likely to have more money spent on features and architecture than a traditional big box shopping centre.[3]
Power centres function similar to a traditional shopping mall, but more closely resemble open-air malls and lifestyle centres, rather than the modern enclosed shopping malls of today.
In 1986, a power centre composed of discount and warehouse retailers opened in Coloma, California; it is credited with being the first ever power centre.[4]
In recent years, it has become quite common for an older shopping mall to expand as a power centre, adding big-box stores, category killers and strip malls to the parking and open areas, rather than to add anchors and new retail space to the existing mall facility. Puente Hills Mall and Del Amo Fashion Center in Southern California are good examples of this. Another example is Seven Corners Shopping Center in suburban Washington, D.C.[5] Power centres are almost always located in suburban areas, but occasionally redevelopment has brought power centres to densely populated urban areas.
Some new power centre developments have attempted to re-create the atmosphere of an old-town Main Street, with varying levels of success.
References
- ^ See American and British English spelling differences.
- ^ ICSC SHOPPING CENTER DEFINITIONS
- ^ Garbarine, Rachelle, "The New Goal at Retail Power Centers: Eye Appeal; Bowing to demands by towns to give more attention to design." New York Times, New York, N.Y.: Aug 15, 1999. pg. RE9
- ^ Retailing Management. 7 ed. Michael Levy and Barton A. Weitz. (2009). publisher: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
- ^ Fairfax County EDA - Doing Business in Fairfax County, Seven Corners (retrieved Sep 2, 2008).
See also
- Big-box store
- Category killer
- Lifestyle centre
- Shopping mall
- Strip mall
- Warehouse club
- Warehouse store
External links
- SmartCentres - includes photos of its developments
- Scottsdale Center - Northwest Arkansas Premier shopping centre.
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