A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refer to the walkway itself which was merely bordered by such shops), but in the late 1960s, it began to be used as a generic term for the large enclosed shopping centers that were becoming commonplace at the time. In the U.K., such complexes are considered shopping centres (Commonwealth English: shopping centre), though "shopping center" covers many more sizes and types of centers than the North American "mall". Other countries may follow U.S. usage (Philippines, India, and U.A.E.) while still others (Australia, etc.) follow U.K. usage. In Canadian English, and often in Australia and New Zealand, the term 'mall' may be used informally but 'shopping centre' or merely 'centre' will feature in the name of the complex (such as Toronto Eaton Centre). The term 'mall' is less-commonly a part of the name of the complex.
Many malls have declined considerably in North America, particularly in subprime locations, and some have closed and become so-called "dead malls". Successful exceptions have added entertainment and experiential features, added big-box stores as anchors, or converted to other specialized shopping center formats such as power centers, lifestyle centers, factory outlet centers, and festival marketplaces. In Canada, shopping centres have frequently been replaced with mixed-use high-rise communities.
In many European countries shopping malls continue to grow and thrive.
Types
The International Council of Shopping Centers, based in New York City, classifies two types of shopping centers as malls: regional malls and superregional malls.
Regional mall
A regional mall, per the International Council of Shopping Centers, is a shopping mall with to gross leasable area with at least two anchor stores.
Super-regional mall
A super-regional mall, per the International Council of Shopping Centers, is a shopping mall with over of gross leasable area, three or more anchors, mass merchant, more variety, fashion apparel, and serves as the dominant shopping venue for the region () in which it is located.
Not malls
Not classified as malls are smaller formats such as strip malls and neighborhood shopping centers, and specialized formats such as power centers, festival marketplaces, and outlet centers.
Conversely in some countries, many shopping centers less than half or a quarter of the size of the U.S. minimum to be considered a mall, , have "mall" in their names – for example in Namibia or Zambia.
The world's largest malls with over of gross leasable area are in the Philippines, Thailand, and China – more than half again as large as previous contenders such as the Dubai Mall.
List of types of shopping centers (including malls) The International Council of Shopping Centers classifies Asia-Pacific, European, U.S., and Canadian shopping centers into the following types:
Abbreviations: SC=shopping center/centre, GLA = Gross Leasable Area, NLA = Net Leasable Area, AP=Asia-Pacific, EU=Europe, Can=Canada, US=United States of America *does not apply to Europe
History
Forerunners to the shopping mall
Shopping centers in general may have their origins in public markets and, in the Middle East, covered bazaars.
In 1798, the first covered shopping passage was built in Paris, the Passage du Caire. The Burlington Arcade in London was opened in 1819. The Arcade in Providence, Rhode Island, built in 1828, claims to be the first shopping arcade in the United States. Western European cities in particular built many arcade-style shopping centers. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, which opened in 1877, was larger than its predecessors, and inspired the use of the term "galleria" for many other shopping arcades and malls.
In the mid-20th century, with the rise of the suburb and automobile culture in the United States, a new style of shopping center was created away from downtowns. Early shopping centers designed for the automobile include Market Square, Lake Forest, Illinois (1916), and Country Club Plaza, Kansas City, Missouri (1924).
The suburban shopping center concept evolved further in the United States after World War II (see table above) with larger open-air shopping centers anchored by major department stores, such as the Broadway-Crenshaw Center in Los Angeles, built in 1947 and anchored by a five-story Broadway and a May Company California.