October 18, 2017
National chains and big box stores have superior marketing muscle, but independent retailers have one unique advantage: they’re insiders. Indies are part of the community and that identity goes a long way toward building new business and retaining customers. One marketing tactic that maximizes your community connection is the in-store event – especially when it […]
READ STORYOctober 12, 2017
Beat the 5 Major Roadblocks to Online Success As an executive with a regional leader in retail real estate, I chat with many independent retailers. Some are our tenants; others are attendees at various trade events. They’re in all kinds of retail businesses, but they share one thing: they want to get more from social […]
READ STORYSeptember 6, 2017
# 1 Retailer is Betting on Staff Training to Lift In-Store Experience and Sales It’s the season when students of all ages head back to the classroom. But education today isn’t always limited by subject matter or by the calendar. Since February 2016, supervisors and managers of the world’s leading retailer have been heading to […]
READ STORYAugust 7, 2017
Bricks & Mortars Must Step Up Their Game in New, Competitive Environment Within one week this June, Amazon made two stunning moves: the $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods Market and the announcement of its new Prime Wardrobe service. The latter sent share prices of Nordstrom and Macy’s tumbling and prompted the media to deliver […]
READ STORYJuly 19, 2017
Retail Real Estate Trend: Shopping Experiences Unmatched Online The battle for in-store traffic continues with retailers striving to lure shoppers away from their screens and into the aisles. Top retailers are leading the way with a shift in interior design that transforms the store from the transactional to the experiential. Their goal? To offer something […]
READ STORYJuly 19, 2017
Tenants Continue to Embrace New Ways to Reach and Service Customers Results of our annual June poll of the retailers in our 95-property, 13 million-square-foot portfolio are here. Formally known as the Mid-Year Retail Sentiment Survey, this research reveals positive action on the part of our tenants in terms of tech-centered marketing. Almost half of […]
READ STORYJune 27, 2017
Retail Trend Watchers Say Social Is Under-Utilized Despite Its Potential July is Independent Retailer Month, a time to salute those merchants across the country who account for half of the annual total retail sales in the US. If our economy is to stay robust, independent retailers of all sizes need to thrive. For the smaller […]
READ STORYMay 23, 2017
Retail Real Estate Trend: Will Good Times Be Bad for Bargain You might call them the mice that roared. They’re the dollar stores – now almost 30,000 nationwide and growing. These price point retailers not only weathered the economic recession but they triumphed, growing their annual sales by 50 percent from 2010-15, compared to the […]
READ STORYMay 19, 2017
Tale of Survival and Adaptation Unfolding for Retail Tenants and Properties Your neighborhood shopping center isn’t what it used to be. While some say the Great Recession and the e-commerce phenomenon impacted the bricks-and-mortar landscape in a negative way, in reality, we are seeing an interesting – and encouraging – tale of endurance and progress, […]
READ STORYMay 1, 2017
Retail Trend: Scramble for Small Restaurant Space Creates a Landlord’s Market Millennial diners want their quinoa bowls in a hurry and that’s good news for retail real estate companies. Fast casual restaurants – the popular source of healthy, affordable fare – are hungry for 1,500 to 3,000 square foot spaces in shopping venues nationwide. They’re […]
READ STORY