going dark

going dark

A slang expression for a retail store closing its doors and discontinuing operations at a particular site. Many shopping center and strip center leases prohibit an anchor store—the one that draws traffic to the center and assists the smaller stores with business—from going dark. Without the clause,the anchor store would be able to move to another location,close operations at the old location but continue paying rent, and effectively destroy the business of all other tenants because of the reduction in traffic.