Southdale Center in Edina, Minnesota. As touched on in the introduction, the concept of malls as central locations where customers can visit multiple merchants has been around since the agoras of Ancient Greece.

However, our more modern concept of malls — as physically built shops connected in one location with communal facilities — began in the 20th century. The first shopping mall was technically an outdoor shopping plaza that opened in in Kansas City. However, the first indoor shopping mall that mirrored how we think of malls today was opened in in Edina, Minnesota.

Malls were often anchored by a large department store with a cluster of other stores around it. The growth of these shopping centers was correlated with the growth of automobiles. With cars available to the masses, more people were leaving cities and commuting from the suburbs. The mall was envisioned as a cultural and social center where people could come together and not only do their shopping but also make an activity of it.

With ecommerce sales growing, the appeal of malls has gradually declined, hitting a year low in sales in That said, some digitally native brands are still exploring in-person shopping at new mall-type environments. One example is Neighborhood Goods outside of Dallas, Texas, which features a rotating series of pop-up shops from different merchants.

What can we learn from this? While the traditional malls of old are no longer the exciting experience they once were, shoppers still do seek out experiences around shopping both online and offline. The very first Walmart in Rogers, Arkansas.

While people loved malls for the social aspect and enjoyment of window shopping and moving from store to store, there was also a renewed interest in a return to the one-stop-shop. However, unlike the mom and pop general stores of old, these large stores served bigger populations and provided items cheaply at a much bigger scale.

In the first Walmart opened its doors in Rogers, Arkansas. Target and Kmart also opened their first stores that same year. The efficiency and overall size of these indoor giants made them attractive to consumers looking for convenience and friction-free, no frills service. At these big box stores, customers could find the consumer goods they needed, and at much lower prices.

This was made possible by changes in the laws after World War II that paved the way for discount retailing. Big box stores, and specifically Walmart, are still dominating in the present day. Arguably one of the biggest flashpoints in retail history is the dawn of widespread internet shopping. Amazon was established in as a simple online bookseller.

Clearly, over the past three decades people have jumped onto the ecommerce bandwagon. There are a number of reasons for this. Ecommerce provides convenience and efficiency to the shopping experience and enables shoppers to research, examine reviews, compare prices, and make purchases at all hours of the day.

The growth of ecommerce mirrored the growth of the internet. As more and more people had access to the digital world, they became more interested in shopping there. Initially, some people were skeptical of providing personal data and payment information online, but the development of SSL security protocol in the s helped to assuage those fears. Facebook, the most successful social media platform ever, has over 60 million active business pages on it.

Twitter provides a way for businesses to talk directly to customers, and with Instagram, they can showcase their products in authentic lifestyle situations.

Social media opportunities have been both an opportunity for retail brands to capitalize on and a new challenge for them to conquer. In , Facebook rolled out sponsored stories as a form of early advertising.

Marketers could capitalize on the huge amount of data people provide Facebook to target very specific customers. Today, Facebook and Instagram are also channels where brands can sell their products directly. Walmart's youth is nothing compared to two retailing companies that have disrupted and transformed traditional retailing on a global level in the past decade.

Amazon sold its first product from its online store in July and Apple opened its first Apple retail store in May Viewing a timeline of retail and restaurant companies founded in the 's and 's reveals how much can be accomplished by a retailing company on a mission in a very short period of time.

Some of the today's most valuable retail brands didn't even exist in the U. Butt Grocery Company, and Neiman Marcus were all founded in the early 20th century and are still alive and retailing today. This list is arranged chronologically by founding dates and years of each individual company. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data.

Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. In the s, the first Sam's Club opens, serving small businesses and individuals, and the first Walmart Supercenter opens, combining a supermarket with general merchandise.

Walmart replaces cash registers with computerized point-of-sale systems, enabling fast and accurate checkout. The Walton family establishes the Walton Family Foundation. The company installs the largest private satellite communication system in the U. The first Walmart Supercenter opens in Washington, Missouri, combining general merchandise and a full-scale supermarket to provide one-stop shopping convenience.

By , Walmart is the nation's No. As the Walmart Supercenter redefines convenience and one-stop shopping, Everyday Low Prices goes international. Walmart enters the new millennium dedicated to offering customers a seamless shopping experience, whether they are online, in a store or on a mobile device.

Walmart makes a major commitment to environmental sustainability, announcing goals to create zero waste, use only renewable energy and sell products that sustain people and the environment. Walmart commits to serving customers in a changing retail environment, leveraging both associates and technology to make it happen. Walmart launches a global commitment to sustainable agriculture, aiming to strengthen local farmers and economies, while providing customers access to affordable, high-quality food.

With the acquisition of Massmart in South Africa, Walmart surpasses 10, retail units around the world. Walmart U. Walmart projects hiring over , veterans in the next five years. The company employs 2. He continues to serve as a director. Walmart Pay , a fast, easy and secure way for customers to make purchases with their smart phones, becomes a popular in-store payment method.

Online retailer Jet. Hayneedle , a subsidiary of Jet. Walmart opens its first training Academy in South Carolina, with total locations planned at stores across the U. More than 1. Walmart and JD. The company makes a commitment to become the most trusted retailer through hitting specific goals by , all focused on sustainability, empowering its associates and improving the lives of people around the world. Walmart launches free two-day shipping on more than 2 million items, no membership required.

Jet acquires ShoeBuy. Walmart launches Store N o 8 , a tech incubator, with a focus to drive commerce forward and transform the future of retail. Walmart launches Project Gigaton , asking suppliers to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its supply chain by 1 gigaton. SPAR began trading in Australia in and has a history of changes in ownership due to structural changes in the retailing and wholesaling sectors.

The current company was formed in and in late a new majority shareholder, Jardin Investments Pty Ltd, was confirmed. Following a series of changes to the ownership of the company, SPAR Poland now has an effective retail management team in place. The new millennium has seen the continued expansion of SPAR, particularly in developing countries where the modern retail sector is a major driver of economic development.

The continued success of SPAR in existing countries and the level of interest expressed by new countries in securing the SPAR license points to the continued relevance of the SPAR partnership model in modern food retailing. A central office was developed in Moscow and partners were identified to operate the brand across many regions of this vast market.

SPAR was introduced into Ukraine in , three years after the first modern supermarket was established in the country, in There have been many changes since the initial launch but the business continues to grow. This important market was identified as having strong growth potential following the WTO signing in A combination of company owned stores and licensed independent retailers has seen the brand expand across the country since the first opening.

A number of large SPAR Hyperrmarkets are bringing the brand to shoppers in key cities, such as Port Harcourt, offering modern retail solutions, often located in shopping malls.