Category killer
A category killer is a retailer, often a
In essence, they are a price- or discount-based specialist mass-retailer.[1]: 13 [2] Chains such as OfficeMax, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, and Hobby Lobby have been considered category killers.[3]
Once typically found in power centers, increasingly they are found in or adjacent to (as an outbuilding of) repurposed traditional malls.
Large category killer stores are mostly in mid- and large-sized cities, because a large population is required to be feasible.[1]: 33
Impact
Local merchants in cities with category killers "may suffer a substantial reduction in sales," and stores in a wider radius can be affected by the draw.[1]: 109–111 Between 1983 and 1993, Iowans spent 31% less in hardware stores, translating to a loss of 37% in the same time to those stores as a result of category killer stores.[1]: 67–68, 89
Canadian retailers
Retailer | Category |
---|---|
The Home Depot
|
Home and construction |
Best Buy | Electronics |
Toys "R" Us | Toys |
Indigo Books and Music | Books |
Staples | Office supplies |
Shoppers Drug Mart | Drug Stores |
PetSmart | Pet supplies |
Party City | Party supplies |
Dollarama | Dollar Stores |
United States retailers
Sporting goods stores that are category killers range in footprint from 10,000 to 40,000 square feet (930 to 3,720 m2).
Retailer | Category | Defunct? |
---|---|---|
The Home Depot
|
Home and construction | |
Lowe's | ||
Builders Square | 1999 (stores) 2009 (brand) | |
Home Quarters | 1999 | |
Circuit City | Electronics | 2009 (stores) 2012 (brand) |
Best Buy | ||
Toys "R" Us | Toys | 2018 (US stores) |
Barnes & Noble | Books | |
Borders | 2011 | |
OfficeMax | Office supplies | |
Office Depot | ||
Staples | ||
Petco | Pet supplies | |
PetSmart | ||
Party City | Party supplies | |
The Gap[4]: 122 | Clothing | |
Old Navy |
See also
References
- ^ OCLC 31901604.
- ^ OCLC 567361303.
- ^ Lal, Rajiv; Alvarez, Jose B (10 October 2011). "Retailing Revolution: Category Killers on the Brink". Working Knowledge. Harvard Business School. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ OCLC 232160862.
External links
- The dictionary definition of category killer at Wiktionary