Entertainment Tie-ins / Licensing

For 100 impoverished children in the Dallas area, it was a night they won’t soon forget.   For the second consecutive year, Ashley HomeStore and the Dallas Cowboys teamed up to host the “ultimate sleepover experience” on the field at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.    The kids got to take part in on-field games and entertainment with the Dallas Cowboys players and cheerleaders, eat pizza and watch a movie on the stadium’s gigantic 160-ft. video screen.  

Entertainment concepts are the future of retail fun

Retail has been the foundation of shopping centers throughout their existence, but new entertainment concepts are making inroads in traditional retail venues.

Even in mixed-use venues, it’s generally accepted that a critical mass of traditional retail is the highlight, and that other uses are complementary pieces, designed to drive traffic and support the retail component.

An influx of restaurants and entertainment concepts is changing the look of shopping centers nationwide and altering the role these centers play in their communities. It is a trend Retail Properties of America has seen play out firsthand as owner and operator of 192 retail properties encompassing nearly 30 million sq. ft.

Jeff Rubin, founder and CEO of It’Sugar, has always had a sweet tooth — and a passion for retail. Both are in his DNA. His father owned a chain of toy stores in the Midwest. After leaving the toy business, he went on to open a chain of bulk candy stores. Rubin worked on Wall Street for a while before returning home to help run the candy chain. In 1994, he left to go out on his own. He’s been on an upward trajectory since.

Experts credit Rubin with breathing new life into the candy store format.

Adidas is doubling down on its relationship with Kanye West, the outspoken entertainer who doubles as a fashion designer.    The German sportswear giant and West are expanding their very successful Yeezy brand via a new partnership called adidas + Kanye West. The Yeezy-branded collection will consist of footwear, apparel and accessories for all genders that will work across street and sport.    

Kellogg’s is in a New York state of mind. Times Square to be more specific.    On July 4, Kellogg's will open Kellogg's NYC, its first-ever permanent café, at 1600 Broadway.    

Japanese specialty apparel retailer Uniqlo is expanding its U.S. presence into the Southeast, and is also expanding its relationship with Disney.    The company will open a two-level, 25,000-sq.-ft. store on July 15 in Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. It will be Uniqlo’s first location in the Southeast.   

Not many retailers can boast that their mascot was one of the first animals ever immortalized in wax at Madam Tussauds in New York City. But Target can.   That’s just one of five suprising things about the discounter in a report by Fortune. To find out the other four, click here  

Long dependent on low prices to draw customers to stores, Walmart is trying a new traffic-boosting tactic: fun.

Fans of Harley-Davidson can immerse themselves in the brand at the new “1903—A Harley Davidson Cafe” in downtown Toronto.   Named for the year the company  was founded, the 4,200-sq.-ft. café features a biker-themed décor inspired by the history of the 114-year-old brand. Folks who have never hopped on a Harley can get a taste of the experience by taking a test ride on the JumpStart ride simulator.