Retail shopping centers are typically configured as malls or strip centers. Shopping Center Configurations: Malls vs. Strip Centers. Malls are defined as enclosed properties with a central walkway where retail storefronts face one another. Strip centers do not include enclosed hallways.

Neighborhood Shopping Center: Continuing down the scale in size, a neighborhood center is 30,000 to 125,000 square feet in size. This is a convenience-oriented concept, and the retailers are typically discount stores, supermarkets, drug stores, or large specialty discount stores.

A strip mall, strip center, strip plaza or simply plaza is a type of shopping center common in North America and Australia where the stores are arranged in a row, with a footpath in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front.

The most common and recognizable retail real estate in the US is the Neighborhood Center. This is your typical grocery anchored strip mall that serves the immediate population within a 3-mile trade area.

Community Center ("Large Neighborhood Center") General merchandise or convenience- oriented offerings. Wider range of apparel and other soft goods offerings than neighborhood centers. The center is usually configured in a straight line as a strip, or may be laid out in an L or U shape, depending on the site and design.