Apparel

Miracle Mile Shops’ new general manager Jerry Irwin talks strategy

Jerry Irwin signed on as general manager of Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in September 2013. He oversees all center operations, including design, development, management, construction and strategic direction.

Miracle Mile Shops spans 475,000 sq. ft. and boasts 170 stores. Recently, CSA asked Irwin about his plans for the center.

How do you conceive of your role at Miracle Mile Shops?

Discount retailing has undergone a major transformation in recent years

Toward the end of 2008, it became painstakingly obvious to retailers that impulse spending was out and frugal saving was in. Faced with an imminent recession, staggering job loss and quickly depleting discretionary and savings accounts, consumers began to shift their focus to value. The impact of such a large-scale economic event and an abrupt consumer focus shift would appear to alter the fundamental realities of retail.

New York -- J. Crew Group Inc. is developing a new store format in the budget fashion sector. The company has created a brand called “J. Crew Mercantile,” and filed an application to trademark the phrase for selling clothing and accessories, both online and in stores, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

The trademark application is still pending, the report said. The new brand would sell merchandise and prices that are similar to its J. Crew Factory outlet concept.

Mobile solutions provider GPShopper named Yana Vaysman to a new role overseeing a wide range of client facing implementation functions.

GPShopper bills itself as the leading developer of mobile solutions for retailers, and in her role as vp of solutions enablement Vaysman will be based in the company’s Chicago office. She will oversee project management as well as implementation process for all clients, enhancing customer service and facilitating collaboration between GPShopper’s account management and product development teams.

When the International Council of Shopping Centers opens the doors of the Las Vegas Convention Center on May 18 to shopping center attendees from around the globe, it will unveil a lineup of newly built and redeveloped properties ripe for deal-making.

On the following pages, Chain Store Age highlights five projects that will be on display at RECon 2014.

Hassalo on Eighth

Portland, Ore.

Developer: American Assets Trust

Landlords and tenants have a new way to connect

Networking isn’t new, but in this day and age of emails and texts, the idea of face-to-face business-building has taken on new importance.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation said that retail employment increased 28,000 in April 2014 from March 2014 and 241,000 year-over-year. March's retail employment was revised upward by 2,700 jobs.

NRF said the increase reflects the growth and positive momentum seen in the retail industry in recent months. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy as a whole added 288,000 jobs in April, reducing the unemployment rate from 6.7% to 6.3%.

Dick’s Sporting Goods opened its Field & Stream prototype store last summer and next month the first of eight stores planned for 2014 arrives on the shores of Lake Erie.

The northwestern Pennsylvania community will be home to Dick’s third Field & Stream store with an opening set for June 13. Dick’s began experimenting with the potential new growth format last August when it opened its first location near its home town of Pittsburgh in the suburb of Cranberry Township. A second location opened later in 2013 in Crescent Springs, Ky.