Real Estate

Report: Popular online brand to open brick-and-mortar stores
The online retailer credited with disrupting the mattress category may be moving into the physical space. Casper, which delivers its mattresses folded in a box, has plans to open a fleet of physical stores, according to help wanted ads placed on its website, according to the New York Post.
What women want: A landscaping perspective
Plenty has been written about the importance of infusing experiences into shopping centers. Much has been written about placemaking. But not nearly enough has been written about the role a well-thought-out landscape environment contributes to overall experience and the power of "place." It’s more important to women shoppers than you might imagine.

Leasing firm: 2016 volume has been hot

Levin Management president Matthew Harding says 2016 has been an especially active year for new retail leases. Over the past nine months, he reports his company handled leasing activity for more than 500,000 sq. ft. — over 400,000 sq. ft. of that in retail.
Report: Target hoping to open ‘hundreds’ of smaller stores

Target Corp. is bullish on its smaller store concept. Company CEO Brian Cornell he is “increasingly confident’ the retailer will open “hundreds of “small-format stores, USA Today reported. We think we have the opportunity to enter many, many new neighborhoods," Cornell said on a conference call.
Houston town center completes phase one

The first phase of Fairfield Town Center in northwest Houston is nearing completion and should be fully operational by Black Friday, promises owner Washington Prime Group, formerly WP Glimcher. Already open and operating at the 600,000-sq.-ft. development are HEB, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Chick-fil-A, and McDonalds, among several others. The fully populated center will include Marshalls/Homegoods, Ulta, Chipotle, and Dress Barn.
Hot Canadian brand opens first U.S. store

A popular goose from up north has landed in Manhattan. Canada Goose, the 60-year-old brand best known for its signature goose-down jacket with Arctic Circle logo and fur-trimmed hood, has opened a flagship in the SoHo section of Manhattan. It is the company’s first-ever U.S. store and only second store to date, with the first opening in Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre in October.
Williams-Sonoma’s under-the-radar Rejuvenation opens in Chicago

A retailer that specializes in reproductions of classic home products and house parts is expanding under the ownership of Williams-Sonoma. Rejuvenation will open its seventh retail location on Nov. 21, in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. The 6,000-sq.-ft. store is the retailer’s first Midwest location.
Coach’s new flagship includes customization services

Coach is celebrating its 75th anniversary year with an impressive new flagship on one the world’s most prestigious (and pricey) streets. The company has officially opened the doors to its “Coach House” flagship on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. The 20,000-sq.-ft., three-level space, designed by Coach executive creative director Stuart Vevers and Studio Sofield, showcases the brand’s modern luxury positioning. (A Stuart Weitzman flagship is located adjacent to it. Coach acquired the brand in 2015.)
Staples brand to disappear from the United Kingdom

A familiar U.S. retailer will soon make its exit from the U.K. retail scene. Staples, which operates some 105 stores in the United Kingdom, has agreed to sell its U.K. retail business and operations to Hilco Capital Limited. The use of the Staples brand in the U.K. will be phased out over the coming months. In May, Staples announced plans to explore strategic alternatives for its European operations as part of its new strategy.
PetSmart reaches store milestone

PetSmart continues to expand its brick-and-mortar presence across North America. The company has opened 1,500th store, in Sheridan, Colorado. The location is one of approximately 80 new stores the pet specialty retailer is opening in 2016 in new markets as well as in convenient locations in current markets.
President-elect hurting traffic at some major retail flagships

Street closings and protests related to the election of Donald Trump are severely impacting retail traffic on the priciest retail corridor in the world. Tiffany & Co., Abercrombie & Fitch, Henri Bendel, Polo Ralph Lauren and other retailers on Fifth Avenue are all being affected, according to the Associated Press.
The Source set to open in Q1

The 400,000-sq.-ft. retail component of The Source, a new mixed-use project in Buena Park, California will be opening next month, according to developer M+D Properties. A highlight of the center will be the nation’s first CGV Cultureplex, a concept pioneered by the South Korean movie theater chain CJ CGV. It features 4DX theaters with motion seats and ScreenX, which employs six screens and projectors to surround viewers with movie images.