A. The original outlet centers of 15 years ago were really quite small, 40,000 to 60,000 square feet.

When the 737,000-square-foot complex is completed, probably by next year, it will be the largest outlet center in the world.

My whole family over the years has attempted to be part of the communities where we have outlet centers.

We were looking for a traditional anchor department store site, but decided this would make an ideal outlet center.

Retail outlet centers have suffered even more than traditional retailers over the last year.

One of the biggest projects planned for the county is a 450,000-square-foot retail outlet center in Kent.

The answer: they shop at one of the 300 listed outlet centers nationwide, with more than 8,000 stores.

Instead of shopping locally, he said, "people go to malls and outlet centers to spend their money."

Compared with regional malls, outlet centers are a relatively new phenomenon.

That is also when developers who had not already done so began locating outlet centers with tourists in mind.