Washington, D.C. — American consumers plan to boost their holiday spending 4 percent this season on a year-over-year basis, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insight & Analytics. The projection is based on a survey of 7,782 adult consumers. Specifically, shoppers expect to spend an average of $1,047.83 this year, up 4 percent from last year’s total of $1,007.24, the survey findings show. Meanwhile, shoppers who are between the ages of 35 and 44 plan to spend an average of $1,158.63 this holiday season. Consumer spending is …
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Chicago — The food and beverage industry dominated much of the programming and sessions at this year’s Chicago Deal Making, hosted by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). In fact, the keynote speaker was Fabio Viviani, a celebrity chef and hospitality developer. Examples of other food-oriented workshops and panels included “How to Craft Restaurant Deals,” “From Automation to Ghost Kitchens, Understanding the Trends Reshaping F&B” and “Small Bites: New Restaurant Concepts.” The two-day ICSC event took place at Navy Pier on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 16-17. The show kicked …
Over the weekend, fast fashion retailer Forever 21 was the latest to file for bankruptcy protection. The low-price, teen-focused apparel retailer plans to close 350 stores worldwide, including up to 178 in the Unites States, according to The Wall Street Journal. Overleverage and retailers being “over-retailed” — not changes in consumer spending — are to blame for retail bankruptcies, according to K.C. Conway, CCIM Institute chief economist. Conway, in partnership with the Alabama Center for Real Estate at the University of Alabama, recently released a report that debunks retail myths and makes predictions …
Los Angeles — The four F’s may need to move over: there’s a new consonant in town. While fun, food, fitness and fashion are still category staples in shopping centers, retailers at ICSC’s Western Conference & Deal Making event, held Sept. 16 to 18 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, are now interested in courting the two L’s: laptops and lattes. “We do really well with the laptops and lattes crowd,” said Felicia Alexander, a Health & Wellness panelist and co-founder and co-owner of BoxUnion boxing studio. “We look at daytime …
New York City — The national retail vacancy rate fell 10 basis points to 10.1 percent in the second quarter, according to New York City-based commercial real estate data firm Reis. This is the first time in which vacancy has declined since the first quarter of 2016. For context, in the second quarter of 2018, the rate had risen 20 basis points to 10.2 percent and remained flat at that rate through the first quarter of this year. The tightening of available space is in contrast to the larger talking …
Shopping Center Business recently sat down with Cynthia Nelson, senior managing director in the real estate solutions practice at FTI Consulting, to discuss the current retail landscape and tips and tricks for tackling big box vacancies. Tell me a bit about your outlook on the retail landscape at current. We’re going through a huge transformation in terms of how consumers buy retail goods and services and it is taking a toll on our shopping centers. Many big box spaces formerly occupied by retailers like Toys ‘R’ Us are going dark. …
Talks of tariffs and trade wars have dominated the news lately as the U.S. negotiates abroad over everything from immigration deals with Mexico to intellectual property protection (or lack thereof) in China. Though a deal was reached with Mexico earlier this month, an agreement has yet to be made with China. Even if the two countries do reach amicable terms, what kind of an impact will these types of trade wars and levies have stateside? “If the trade war challenge continues for too long or the U.S. experiences a retaliating …
Two New Tri-Land Investment Funds Hungry to Acquire Grocery-Anchored Retail Assets in Midwest, Southeast
In today’s volatile retail real estate climate, there is ample need for redevelopment or value-add acquisitions. Tri-Land, a Chicago-based owner and operator, is one such company known for repositioning underperforming retail centers. Established in 1978, the company is launching two new investment funds beginning in July. The two funds — which combined total $30 million — seek to purchase between four and eight properties over a 30-month period. The strategy of the investment funds will be to acquire properties located in Midwest and Southeast markets, including Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Kansas …
Jeffrey S. Edison, Chairman and CEO of Phillips Edison & Company (PECO), knows sustainability will play a large role in the operation, development, design and longevity of today’s shopping centers. With that in mind, PECO has developed a number of programs and initiatives that target the three R’s: recycle, reduce, reuse. What are PECO’s sustainability goals? Edison: Our company is committed to becoming an industry leader in energy efficiency, alternative power sources, sustainable design, recycling and other initiatives that will help Phillips Edison preserve and protect the environment. We want …
By Austin Blodgett and Eric Wohl, Hanley Investment Group The professional car wash industry is more than 100 years old. Yet, the category has only recently picked up steam as a viable alternative to traditional net leased retail properties for private investors. Savvy private investors in today’s complex real estate market are following in the footsteps of what some of the larger REITs are looking to acquire. Namely, single-tenant express car washes. Unlike a McDonald’s or a Starbucks, net leased car wash properties are still a relatively new category for …