The great Shopping Mall Mania
Some facts from wikipedia....
A shopping mall or shopping centre is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a convenient parking area – a modern, indoor version of the traditional marketplace.
In most of the world the term shopping centre is used, especially in Europe and Australasia; however shopping mall is also used, predominantly in North America.
Centre Commercial Al Qods in Algiers, the second largest shopping mall in Africa (behind Gateway Theatre of Shopping in Durban, South Africa)Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is advertised at 700,000 m2 (7,500,000 sq ft). Beijing's (Peking) Golden Resources Mall, which opened in October 2004, is the world's second largest mall, at 600,000 m2 (6,500,000 sq ft).
SM City North EDSA in the Philippines, which opened in November 1985, is the world's third largest at 460,000 m2 (5,000,000 sq ft) of gross floor area, and SM Mall of Asia in the Philippines, opened in May 2006, is the world's fourth largest at 386,000 m2 (4,150,000 sq ft) of gross floor area.
Previously, the title of the largest enclosed shopping mall was with the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada from 1986–2004. It is now the fifth largest mall. Two of the largest malls are in China, South China Mall and Jin Yuan. Dubai Mall is the largest mall in Middle East and Europe, currently ranked seventh in the world. The current largest shopping centre in Europe is the MetroCentre near Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK.
One of the world's largest shopping complexes in one location is the two-mall agglomeration of the Plaza at King of Prussia and the Court at King of Prussia in the Philadelphia suburb of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, United States. The King of Prussia mall has the most shopping per square foot in the U.S.
The most visited shopping mall in the world and largest mall in the United States is the Mall of America, located near the Twin Cities in Bloomington, Minnesota. However, several Asian malls are advertised as having more visitors, including Mal Taman Anggrek, Kelapa Gading Mall and Pluit Village, all in Jakarta-Indonesia, Berjaya Times Square in Malaysia and SM Megamall in the Philippines. The largest mall in South Asia, and twelfth largest in the world, is Bashundhara City in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Types:
There a few different types of shopping malls that should be noted. The average shopping mall is under 400,000 square feet, with those between 400,000 and 800,000 square feet being known as regional shopping malls. Because they are larger, they can accommodate higher end stores that may need more space for their stores. Super-regional malls are those that are over 800,000 square feet. These are the premier shopping mall for the surrounding areas and suburbs. Strip malls are strictly suburban and usually consist of large parking lots surrounded by single story shops. Outlet malls are special shopping malls where manufacturers sell their products directly through their own stores.
Future:
The most recent history of shopping malls paints two very different pictures of the future of the buildings. Strip malls have quickly fell out of popularity and power shopping centers have taken their place. These feature big box retailers that often supply goods at lower prices than smaller local shops. IN downtown districts, where land is expensive, vertical shopping malls are popping up, which include the design of skyscrapers. In the future, it is thought that most new malls will expand vertically rather than horizontally, including parking spaces for the mall.
( source: ehow.com)
Shopping Malls are a modern version of the old OPEN AIR BAZAARS....times have changed but the shopping mania has remained....even grown !!!
Long Live the bazaar !!!
