anchor tenant

English

Noun

anchor tenant (plural anchor tenants)

1. A large and popular store in a shopping mall, often a department store or retail chain, intended to attract a significant cross-section of customers to the mall.

   Synonym: anchor store

   • 1996, John R. White, Kevin D. Gray, Shopping Centers and Other Retail Properties, page 59:

     As the number of viable anchor tenants continues to contract, the bargaining leverage of these anchor tenants has increased. The difficulty and expense of negotiating arrangements with them has increased correspondingly.

   • 2007, Marianne Jennings, Real Estate Law, page 243:

     The anchor tenants are responsible for drawing the majority of the customers to the center or mall and will do a significant amount of advertising that also brings in customers.