Suburban retail giants like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp. are so anxious to get a piece of South Florida’s rapidly growing urban markets, they are willing to stray from traditional store formats that have prospered for generations.
South Florida retail observers say Wal-Mart is certainly not alone in responding to the region’s population shift toward urban living. Knowing the prototypical big-box format simply won’t work in dense cities where rental rates and land costs are usually much higher and parking is at a premium, major retailers are getting creative.
