Dallas-based J.C. Penney has long been known primarily as a mall anchor. But of the 28 stores the company plans to open this year, 23 will go up in open-air centers. Twelve of the 19 that opened last year were open air.

Plus, the company's 22 existing open-air stores take in $200 per sf versus the portfolio average of $153 per sf. One strategy the retailer has employed is to take over the spaces vacated by such retailers as Kmart, Wal-Mart and ShopKo, said Paul Freddo, company VP and director of real estate. "There are opportunities that are falling in our lap right now," he said.

Redmond, WA-based Eddie Bauer is also mainly an enclosed-mall retailer, as only 13% of its 425 stores are in open-air centers. But that total is up from 5% five years ago, and by 2008, about 25% of its stores will be in outdoor centers, said Mark Borison, the retailer's VP of real estate. Eddie Bauer open-air stores have 15% higher average sales than its mall units, some of which take in $7 million per year, he said.