L.L. Bean, Inc.

A small but growing number of customers are responsible for a big change in one of L.L. Bean’s signature policies.

When it comes to buying outerwear, more shoppers are going online.

Marcus & Millichap’s Q2 Boston market report signals urgency to retailers like the famed lamps Paul Revere placed in the tower of the Old North Church. To wit:

Chains close stores, and chains open stores. Legendary cataloger and online retailer L.L. Bean is one of the latter, opening its 33rd store outside of Maine and its fourth in the state of Virginia.   This week’s debut came at The Shops at Stonefield, a 265,000-sq.-ft. lifestyle center in Charlottesville that was acquired by O’Connor Capital Partners last year.  

Levi Straus is the second most patriotic brand in America. And Ralph Lauren isn't far behind.    That's according to the 15th annual Brand Keys survey of iconic American brands, which asked 4,860 consumers, balanced for age and political party affiliation, to evaluate which of 280 brands were most resonant as to ‘patriotism.’ Jeep took the top spot in the survey for the second consecutive year. (For complete listing of the 50 most patriotic brands, which includes several retailers, see end of article.)

Consumers rank Wegmans, Publix Super Markets, and Amazon.com as the top three companies when it comes to corporate social responsibility efforts.   

L.L. Bean is going to set up camp in Boston.   The Freeport, Maine-based retailer will open its first permanent, full-line store in an urban location in spring 2018, in the Seaport District of Boston. The store will feature active and casual apparel, outerwear, and footwear, as well as outdoor lifestyle gear curated for residents and visitors of Boston. At 8,600 sq. ft., the Boston outpost will be significantly smaller than Bean’s traditional retail footprint.  

L.L. Bean is in a cost-cutting mode.    The company, which is evaluating all aspects of its business, is offering early retirement incentives (it hopes to trim about 500 positions), freezing pensions and taking a “hard look” at its free shipping and generous re-turns policy, the Associated Press reported.   

L.L. Bean has been drawn into something that it has always shied away: the political spotlight.      It all started with the news that Linda Bean, granddaughter of company founder Leon Leonwood Bean and a member of the Bean board, had made a substantial donation to a pro-Trump PAC during the president-elect's campaign. Trump then thanked Bean for her support via a tweet that ended with “Buy L.L.Bean.”     

O’Connor Capital Partners has acquired The Shops at Stonefield in Charlottesville, Virginia, from Edens for $121 million.   The 231,761-sq.-ft. Town Center portion of the property, which is two miles from the campus of the University of Virginia, opened in 2013. A 33,422-sq.-ft. Northside portion was completed in 2016. Key Tenants include Trader Joe’s, Regal Cinema, Pottery Barn, Brooks Brothers, and Bluemercury.