A junior department store in North America is a type of retailer that experienced growth from the late 1930s[1] through the 1960s, but is no longer common today, as retail moved increasingly towards discount stores like Walmart and Target, and big box off-price stores like Ross Dress For Less, Marshalls and TJ Maxx.
Several types of stores were identified as junior department stores, all of which had in common merchandise organized into departments and store sizes ranging from 30,000 to 100,000 square feet (2,800 to 9,300 m2) (according to author James Cooper)[2] but sometimes smaller, especially in the case of large variety stores that promoted themselves as junior department stores.
[1] The types of stores called junior department stores included: Fast fashion brands such as Zara, H&M and Primark are often confused with the specification, as they not only sold clothing but also home goods and cosmetics under their own brand.