Events

eBay has come up with a clever solution to help Americans solve a common dilemma: what to do about unwanted holiday gifts.

The online marketplace retailer will operate pop-up selling stations in three select Westfield shopping centers across the country during “Boxing Weekend” from Dec. 26 (Boxing Day) to Dec. 27. The stations will be located at Westfield San Francisco Centre, San Francisco; Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus, New Jersey; and Westfield Hawthorn Center, Vernon Hills, Illinois.

Allen, Texas -- Trademark Property, announced that jewelry designer Kendra Scott will open at Watters Creek at Montgomery Farms, the 800,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use center in Allen, Texas. The 2,054 sq. ft. boutique, which will be located near White House | Black Market and Anthropologie, is slated to open in spring 2016.

Seattle -- Madison Marquette announced that Din Tai Fung will open at Pacific Place located in downtown Seattle, in the summer of 2016. With only six U.S. restaurants, Din Tai Fung will be located in a 9,216 sq. ft. space on level four of the shopping center.

Din Tai Fung currently operates more than 100 locations worldwide with branches in Japan, the United States, South Korea, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand and most recently in Dubai.

Drone sales are expected to set a new sale record this holiday season and create all sorts of new privacy, security and safety challenges in the process. No wonder regulations regarding the recreational use of drones are drawing support from the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA).

RILA in response to an interim final rule issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Dec. 15, pledged its support of what appears to be a common sense requirement that drones weighing up to 55 pounds must be registered.

Hastings, Minn. -- Mid-America Real Estate announced it recently secured a new retail lease on behalf of Westview Shopping Center in Hastings, Minnesota.

Ace Hardware signed a lease for 14,980 sq. ft. at Westview Shopping Center located at the corner of South Frontage Road and Pleasant Avenue.

Ace Hardware will anchor the 130,395 sq. ft. center that is also home to Sterling Drug. The location is expected to open in spring 2016.

Don’t be left out in the cold. The Retail Design Institute is accepting entries for its annual store design competition. The deadline to submit is December 31, 2016.

The competition celebrates exceptional retail experiences across more than 20 categories from department stores and specialty shops to restaurants and pop-ups. In addition, a single "Store of the Year" will be chosen from among the winning entries.

Fort Worth, Texas -- Trademark Property Co. announced new public art programs underway at the developer’s two Fort Worth, Texas properties, Waterside and WestBend. The art programs are intended to support Fort Worth culture and arts through historical tributes and commissions by local artists. They are a part of Trademark’s Conscious Place initiative; a stakeholder driven development model that aims to ensure that its properties are more than just places of commerce, but also places of community and meaning.

Plymouth Meeting, Pa. -- PREIT will begin construction next summer on LEGOLAND Discovery Center Philadelphia at Plymouth Meeting Mall in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. The 33,000 sq. ft. attraction, is a unique indoor attractions based on the popular LEGO brick, designed for families with children aged 3-10.

If there was a single theme at the recently concluded ICSC Deal Making Conference in New York City, it was “possibilities.” New projects, new ideas, new trends and a sense of optimism were on display.

The demise of physical stores has become a familiar narrative during the holiday season, but nothing could be further from the truth according to one man better positioned than most to know.