SEATTLE-While the past few years have witnessed a massiveincrease in the amount of vacant retail space on the national “bigbox” market, many other retailers with expansion plans seeopportunity in these larger spaces made available by struggling orfailed retail chains. So says the Big Box Dilemma, a new whitepaper from Seattle-based Colliers International.

According to Colliers, nearly one-third of the nation’s top 500retailers have increased their growth plans for 2011 and beyond.“Strong store sales during the first half of 2010 have emboldenedthese companies to lock in competitive lease rates in newlocations.”

The white paper analyzed the big box retail market andidentified several other notable trends: Despite numerous big boxstore closings and chain liquidations, stronger retailers have beenre-leasing several of those vacated locations as second-generationspace. For example, the report notes that electronics chainhhgregghas opened more than 30 stores within the past 18 months—and plansto open 45 more in 2011. The majority of these new locationsformerly housed failed electronics giant Circuit City. AsGlobeSt.com reported, the appliance and electronics retailerrecently picked up 40,135 square feet at Swedesford Plaza, a152,000-square-foot center located at 428 N. Swedesford Rd. inBetwyn, PA.