Entertainment Tie-ins / Licensing

Urban Outfitters, which has a history of selling products that can sometimes cause offense (at least to some consumers),  has entered the presidential debate.   The chain is offering a range of merchandise criticizing Donald Trump, Bloomberg reported, including  a book of Trump quotations styled to look like Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong’s Little Red Book.   

The NFL Experience has become well known as a primary attraction of Super Bowl week in the big game’s host city. Now the attraction will go permanent in a joint venture with Cirque du Soleil at 20 Times Square, a mixed-use Witkoff development that will house the 39-story Edition Hotel.  

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.

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.

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.