Big-Box Retail

What it means

Big-box retail is distinguished from strip center or power center retail by scale and tenant profile. Typical big-box footprints: 80,000–200,000 SF for general merchandise; up to 140,000+ SF for home improvement; 100,000+ SF for warehouse-club retail.

Big-box leases are typically long-term (15–20 year initial terms) with credit tenant guarantees. Dark-store risk is a key underwriting concern — if a major retailer closes the store, the landlord faces a backfill challenge given the specialized building size.