Big-box store
(Redirected from Big box)
Big-box store is a term of art in the retail trade that refers to a style of retail store, and by extension to the company behind the store. Typical characteristics include the following:
- "Big-Box" is descriptive of the physical characteristics of the building. A big box store is a large, free-standing, rectangular, generally single-floor store 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 interior can be either relatively luxurious, or starkly utilitarian, depending on the market niche of the firm and how it wishes to communicate that market position to its customers.
- 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 (in countries where space is at a premium, such as the UK, the relevant numbers are a fraction of that).
- Expansive open air surface parking lots and general orientation to automobile-driving consumers, as opposed to pedestrians
- Location in suburban or rural areas, often in proximity to freeways, as opposed to downtown shopping districts
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.
Opponents criticize big boxes especially for being visually overbearing, wasteful of open space, and deleterious to community and small businesses. Proponents point to consumer benefits from greater convenience and lower cost of goods, and the ability of such stores to draw in tax-generating consumers from a wide area. 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 [citation needed].
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 or Circuit City which specialise in goods within a specific range, such as hardware or electronics. 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.
Contents |
List of big-box chains
Companies known for operating big box stores include the following:
Multi-national
- Auchan
- Barnes & Noble (Books, Music, Videos, Magazines)
- Best Buy (Music, Videos, Electronics, Computer Software, Appliances)
- Borders (Books, Music, Videos)
- Carrefour
- Cora
- Costco (merged with Price Club) (Groceries, General Merchandise)
- Hipercor
- Home Depot (Hardware)
- IKEA (Furniture, Housewares)
- Kmart (owned by Sears) (Groceries, General Merchandise)
- Big Kmart (Groceries, General Merchandise)
- Super Kmart (Groceries, General Merchandise)
- Sears Grand (Groceries, General Merchandise)
- Sears Essentials (Groceries, General Merchandise)
- OBI
- Office 1
- Office Depot (Office Supplies)
- PetSmart (Pet Supplies)
- PriceSmart
- Real (owned by METRO AG)
- Staples, Inc. (Office Supplies, Office Equipment)
- Target (General Merchandise)
- Toys "R" Us (Toys)
- Wal-Mart (Groceries, General Merchandise)
- Wal-Mart Supercenter (Groceries, General Merchandise)
- Sam's Club (Groceries, General Merchandise)
- The Warehouse Group
- Red Sheds (New Zealand)
- Yellow Sheds (Australia)
Australia
- Big W
- Bunnings Warehouse
- Harvey Norman
- Kmart
- Megamart (defunct)
- Mitre 10 Mega
- Officeworks
- Target
- The Good Guys
Canada
- Canadian Tire
- Chapters
- Future Shop (bought by Best Buy)
- Home Outfitters
- HomeSense
- Indigo Books and Music
- Staples Business Depot
- London Drugs
- Loblaws supermarkets, and several of its subsidiaries
- Rona
- Sobeys
- SportChek
- Winners
- Zellers
- Real Canadian Superstore
Hong Kong
India
- Star India Bazaar (owned by the Tata Group)
Indonesia
Malaysia
Philippines
- SM Hypermarket
Singapore
Thailand
- Auchan (Branches in Thailand now changed and acquired by BigC)
- BigC (a part of Groupe-Casino and Central Retail Corporation)
- Carrefour
- Central Superstore (Branches now changed to BigC)
- Makro
- Tesco Lotus (Groceries) (a part of Tesco UK) group, includes
- Tesco Lotus Discount Store (Branches now changed to Tesco Lotus Supercenter)
- Tesco Lotus Supercenter
- Tesco Lotus Khumkha (Tesco Lotus Value)
United Kingdom
- Currys (Electronics, White Goods)
- Halfords (Auto Parts and Accesories)
- Matalan (clothing)
- Argos (General Household Merchandise, Toys)
- DFS (Furniture)
- MFI (Fitted Kitchens, Furniture)
- B&Q (Hardware, Home Improvement Materials)
- Tesco Extra (General Household Merchandise)
United States
- AutoZone (Auto Parts)
- Barnes & Noble (Books, Music, Videos, Magazines)
- Bed Bath & Beyond (Furniture, Housewares)
- Best Buy (Electronics, General Merchandise)
- BJ's Wholesale Club (Groceries, General Merchandise)
- Books-A-Million (acquired Crown Books/Super Crown locations) (Books, Music, Videos)
- CarMax (Used Car Superstore)
- Circuit City (Music, Videos, Electronics, Computer Software, Appliances)
- CompUSA (acquired The Good Guys!) (Music, Videos, Electronics, Computer Software, Appliances)
- Costco (General Merchandise)
- Dick's Sporting Goods (Sporting Goods)
- Fred Meyer (Groceries, General Merchandise)
- Food-4-Less & FoodsCo (Groceries)
- Fry's (Electronics, General Merchandise)
- f.y.e. Superstores (Music, Videos)
- K-Mart (Clothing, Housewares, General Merchandise)
- Kohl's (Clothing)
- Linens 'n Things (Housewares)
- Lowe's (Hardware)
- Meijer (Groceries, General Merchandise)
- Menards
- OfficeMax (Office Supplies)
- Old Navy (clothing)
- Sports Authority (Sporting Goods)
- Super Saver
- Target (Groceries, General Merchandise)
- Target Greatland (Groceries, General Merchandise)
- SuperTarget (Groceries, General Merchandise)
- Wal-Mart (Groceries, General Merchandise)
- Sam's Club (Groceries, General Merchandise)
Vietnam
- BigC (a part of Groupe-Casino)
See also
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.com [1] Site about how big boxes are reused after retailers abandon them for larger buildings.
Categories
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