Big boxes take command

The Chicago Tribune reports:

Big-box stores such as Wal-Mart, Target and Kohl's are fueling retail sales growth in the Chicago area while department stores, in particular Marshall Field's and Sears, are in decline, according to a new study analyzing the region's retail sales.

This is the first time such a dramatic decline has shown up in suburbs that house regional malls anchored by department stores, the analysis said.

The report, to be released next week and based on retail sales-tax receipt data collected by the Illinois Department of Revenue, comes at a time when Chicago officials are grappling with the fallout from a new law requiring big-box stores to pay a so-called living wage.

"This is a big deal," said John C. Melaniphy, founder and president of Melaniphy & Associates Inc., the Chicago-based retail real estate consulting firm that conducted the analysis. "You can really see the shift away from department stores at malls. The department stores aren't going anywhere, but the Targets and Wal-Marts and Kohl's of the world, they keep adding units."

Consumer choice.