Shopping centers come in all shapes, sizes, and configurations. With all the talk about what is going on in the retail industry, it is important to know what type of shopping center your favorite retailer is in to see if they will be affected by the current world happenings. The 11 types of shopping centers are: Neighborhood Centers, Community Centers, Regional Malls, Super-Regional Malls, Fashion/Specialty Center, Lifestyle Center, Power Center, Theme/Festival Center, Outlet Center, Urban Centers, and Mixed-Use Centers. The following characteristics and definitions are from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

San Jose Market Center off of Coleman Ave in San Jose, Ca

1. Neighborhood Center: A convenience-oriented center that provides goods (foods, drugs and sundries) and personal services (laundry and dry cleaning, hair styling, shoe repair, etc.) for the day-to-day living needs of the immediate neighborhood. It ranges from 5 to 20 stores and is usually build around a supermarket as the principal anchor. The center typically ranges in size from 30,000 to 150,000 square feet in the United States or from 40,000 to 100,000 square feet in Canada.

New Seasons Market Evergreen in San Jose, California

2. Community Center: A shopping center that contains general merchandise or convenience-oriented offerings. It has a wider range of apparel and other goods offerings. It ranges from 15 to 40 stores and is built around 2 or more anchors such as a discount store, supermarket, drugstore and large specialty discount store (toys, electronics, home improvement, home furnishings, sporting goods, etc.). The center is usually configured in a straight line as a strip, or may be laid out in an "L" or "U" shape, depending on site and design. The center ranges in size from 100,000 to 350,000 square feet in the United States and from 100,000 to 400,000 square feet in Canada. The trade area usually comprises 3 to 6 miles.

3. Regional Mall: This shopping center provides general merchandise, fashion-oriented offerings, furniture and home furnishings in depth and variety, as well as a range of services, such as restaurants, and recreational facilities, such as movie theaters. Typically enclosed with inward-facing stores connected by a common walk-way, it is built around 2 or more anchors such as a full-line and/or junior department store, mass merchant, discount department store and/or large-format fashion apparel store. A parking lot surrounds the outside perimeter. Its typical size is roughly 500,000 square feet of gross leasable area; in practice, it may range from 400,000 to 800,000 square feet in the United States or from 300,000 to 800,000 square feet in Canada. The trade area is usually between 5 to 15 miles.

4. Super-Regional Mall: Similar in concept to the regional mall but offers more variety and assortment. It is typically built around 3 or more anchors such as a full-line or junior department store, mass merchant, discount department store and/or major fashion apparel. A super-regional mall is 800,000 square feet or greater in the United States and Canada, and the trade area usually comprises 5 to 25 miles.

5. Fashion/Specialty Center: A center composed mainly of upscale apparel shops, boutiques and craft shops carrying selected fashion or unique merchandise of high quality and price. These centers need not be anchored, although sometimes restaurants or entertainment can provide the draw of anchors. The physical design of the center is very sophisticated, emphasizing a rich decor and high-quality landscaping. These centers usually are found in trade areas having high income levels and were the predecessors of centers now termed "lifestyle centers."

6. Lifestyle Center: Typically contains upscale, national-chain specialty stores with dining and entertainment in an open-air setting. It can be anchorless or anchored by 1 or 2 large-format upscale specialty store, a grouping of highly branded stores and/or a cinema. There usually is an emphasis on design, landscaping and outdoor amenities such as decorative fountains and outdoor seating. The center usually ranges in size from 150,000 to 500,00 square feet both in the United States and Canada.

Chino Spectrum Towne Center in Chino, CA

7. Power Center: Contains at least 3 category-dominant anchors, such as discount department stores, off-price stores, wholesale clubs, home furnishings, pet stores, electronics and discount apparel, with only a few small tenants. The narrowly focused but deeply discounted merchandised stores, such as home improvement, discount department, warehouse club and off-price stores, generally occupy 85% or more of the total GLA. The center typically contains a gross leaseable area ranging in size from 250,000 to 600,000 square feet in the United States or from 100,000 to 1,000,000 square feet in Canada. The trade area usually comprises between 5 and 10 miles.

8. Theme/Festival Center: Has leisure, tourist, retail and service-oriented offerings with entertainment as a unifying theme. Often located in urban areas they may be adapted from older--sometimes historic--buildings and can be part of a mixed-use project. It is typically anchored by restaurants and entertainment venues. The size may vary from 80,000 to 250,000 square feet. Also known as theatre/entertainment center in Canada.

9. Outlet Center: Manufacturers' and retailers' outlet stores selling brand-name goods at a discount.

Hillsdale Shopping Center in San Mateo, CA

10. Urban Centers: Contributors to the revitalization of downtown areas, urban centers are usually part of a city's urban-renewal program. They usually include a pedestrian mall or covered walkways (particularly in areas of climate extremes) and are built right in the traditional shopping district. Characteristically, urban centers feature a park-like atmosphere, absence of cars, freedom to move about among a variety of retail stores, and, in many cases, a food court.

11. Mixed-use Center: A center that consists of well-integrated entertainment , office, hotel, residential, recreation, sports stadium, cultural venues, and/or other uses that mutually support a substantial retail component.

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