Some of the nation’s largest retailers, including Home

Some of the nation’s largest retailers, including Home Depot, Wal-mart, and Sears, are opening small, compact stores on selected main street locations. Recent surveys, like one by Kurt Salmon Associates, show a significant (21 percent) increase in shopping by U.S. consumers at local, neighborhood stores in 1998. Consumers cite convenience, less driving and smaller crowds as important factors in the trend toward smaller stores. Major retailers are opening compact stores in markets underserved by their existing big box stores.