Change is the norm in retailing. This constant change forces shopping centers and retail districts to evolve. Developers and owners of shopping centers must be creative to turn vacant stores into revenue and traffic-generating units. The closing of a department store, supermarket or theater can change the character of a shopping center. These merchants set the tone for the shopping center s tenant mix, shopper s profile and shopping patterns.
Developers respond to the changes in retailing by creating new shopping venues.
In the 1970s enclosed malls and specialty centers were first developed on a grand scale. The climate-controlled mall became the preferred place to shop. Specialty centers, like Ghiradelli Square in San Francisco, provided a fun alternative to the cookie-cutter malls with the same department stores and national retailers. The 1980s were the decade of value shopping, and developers built power centers and outlet malls. A desire by consumers to return to a shopping venue of another era and the popularity of upscale retailers like Eddie Bauer, Abercrombie and Fitch, created the lifestyle centers of the 1990s.