Apparel

The participating companies provide industry-leading solutions and services that aid retailers with the challenging task of navigating real estate. Specific areas where and these providers offer help include lease management, store growth and consolidation, portfolio management, strategic analytics.

A&G Realty Partners LLC    

Melville, N.Y.    

From international brands dropping anchor on U.S. shores and online players expanding in the physical space to familiar names with new formats and traditional start-ups, there is no lack of new concepts in the brick-and-mortar arena. Here’s a look at some with the biggest buzz.

TreeHouse

An Austin, Texas-based home improvement retailer with a green conscience and niche positioning is ready to branch out. TreeHouse opened in late 2011 in Austin’s Westgate Shopping Center, and has been thriving ever since.

Smart retailers are using technology and collaboration to make their stores match the needs of the modern customer.

David’s Bridal gets personal with advanced digital analytics

There are few events more personal in a woman’s life than her wedding.

RETAIL NOTES: Kleinfeld Hudson’s Bay, a glamorous bridal shop on the top floor of the Hudson’s Bay’s flagship and headquarters building in Toronto, took the big prize — Store of the Year — in the Association for Retail Environments 2015 Design Awards. The annual awards recognize the best in retail design, store fixtures and visual presentation. Designed in house by HBC Store Planning, the 14,000-sq.-ft.

Apple will open its highly anticipated new campus in April. Dubbed Apple Park, the site is located on a 175-acre site in Cupertino, Calif.

The heart of the campus is a futuristic, ring-shaped, 2.8 million-sq.-ft. headquarters building that’s clad entirely in panels of curved glass. Designed in collaboration with Foster + Partners, Apple Park is powered by 100% renewable energy. With 17 megawatts of rooftop solar, the campus will run one of the largest on-site solar energy installations in the world.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp. announced the two remaining stores involved in its deal with European fashion retailer Primark. (In late 2014, Sears entered into lease agreements with Primark for seven standalone stores in the Northeastern United States.)

The two remaining stores will be located at Burlington Mall in Burlington, Massachusetts; and South Shore Plaza in Braintree, Massachusetts. Sears will continue to have a significant retail presence in both of these malls, which are owned and operated by Simon Property Group, Inc.

Another opening in 2014 made plenty of headlines. Azalea Regional Shopping Center, opened in August by PrimeStor Development in South Gate, California, houses the new branded concept by Forever 21: F21 red, which offers an increased depth of product at a significantly lower price point. The Azalea store, which opened in May, was the brand’s debut; three other F21 red stores have since opened in New York and Minnesota.

Azalea Regional Shopping Center has plenty to shout about on its own. The 32-acre, Los Angeles County-area project grew out of a vacant site and delivers 400,000 sq.