Events

A celebrity chef is opening a 41,000-sq.-ft. food hall at Tysons Corner Center (McLean, Virginia) that will house 10 separate restaurant concepts. The move comes as more and more retail centers are turning to food as a lure to draw shoppers.

Former “Top Chef” contestant Mike Isabella will open Isabella Eatery at General Growth Properties’ Tysons Galleria in 2017. Several of the planned restaurants will share a common area with approximately 300 seats where diners will be able to order from any of the five menus.

So much for the argument that the U.S. market is saturated with retail stores and e-commerce is hurting mall traffic. Tanger Factory Outlet Centers brought four new properties online in 2015 and still managed to achieve a portfolio occupancy rate in excess of 95% for the 35th consecutive year.
 

The National Retail Federation (NRF) is publicly supporting what it calls “e-fairness” legislation that would extend the reach of state sales taxes to online transactions.

Under present regulations, a state can only charge a sales tax on an Internet sale conducted by an entity that has some type of physical presence in that state.

Retail industry sales will grow an estimated 3.1% in 2016, outpacing the 10 year industry average, as economic headwinds diminish, according to a forecast released by the National Retail Federation.

The NRF sales forecast of 3.1% excludes automobiles, gas stations and restaurants and exceeds the 10 year growth rate of 2.7%. Non-store retail sales are forecast to growth between 6% and 9%.

Target Corp. is set to make history and take the notion of “live” to an entirely new level during the 2016 Grammys Awards, which airs Monday, Feb.15, on CBS.

The retailer is sponsoring the debut of Gwen Stefani’s newest music video, "Make Me Like You,” which will air during the broadcast. But in a unique twist, the video will be acted out, filmed and broadcast live during a four-minute commercial break. It will be the first music video ever created on television.

Retail industry sales will grow an estimated 3.1% in 2016, outpacing the 10 year industry average, as economic headwinds diminish, according to a forecast released by the National Retail Federation.

The NRF sales forecast of 3.1% excludes automobiles, gas stations and restaurants and exceeds the 10 year growth rate of 2.7%. Non-store retail sales are forecast to growth between 6% and 9%.

Tractor Supply Company continues its rapid expansion, with the grand opening of its 1,500th store, on Feb. 13, in Odessa, Texas.

The retailer opened a total of 114 stores in 2015, and expects to open between 115 and 120 locations in 2016. Tractor Supply stores are located primarily in towns outlying major metropolitan markets and in rural communities.
  

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- CBL & Associates Properties announced plans to add home retailer West Elm at Friendly Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, as part of a 12,700-sq.-ft. expansion project for the center. West Elm will occupy approximately 9,000 sq. ft. of the total expansion, which also includes Pieology Pizzeria and an additional soon-to-be-named retailer.

The new development will be located between Anthropologie and Whole Foods. Construction on the space is currently underway, and both West Elm and Pieology are scheduled to open fall 2016.