Apparel

Dakota REIT has acquired what instantly became the largest shopping center in its portfolio — the 114,102-sq.-ft. Pinehurst Square East in Bismarck, North Dakota.   The Fargo-based REIT’s retail holdings consist primarily of neighborhood centers under 60,000-sq.-ft. in the Dakotas and Minnesota. Its largest center prior to the Pinehurst acquisition was the 103,860-sq.-ft. First Center South in Fargo.  

Canadian apparel manufacturer Gildan Activewear Inc. emerged as the winner in the court supervised auction to acquire the bankrupt American Apparel brand and some of its other assets. The company, however, will not be purchasing American Apparel’s 110 retail stores.   Gilden’s $88 million winning bid was higher than its initial proposal of $66 million, which was made back in November as part of a stalking horse portion of American Apparel LLC’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing.   

Nordstrom has added the title of chief innovation officer to its executive team.   The department store retailer named company veteran Geevy Thomas to the new position. Thomas, who most recently served as president of Nordstrom Rack, brings 34 years of experience in all areas of Nordstrom to this role, beginning as a salesperson and then moving into store, regional and buying management roles.   

Apparel retailers might be in for tough going if proposed tax reforms pass.  

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.  

As the new year gets underway, it’s time to look forward to the changes and trends 2017 will bring. For retailers, that includes some new consumer behaviors in addition to the always-expected technological advances.   While change might seem overwhelming, it can also provide fresh opportunities for sales. And with a little planning, retailers can stay ahead of competition to meet the demands of their customers.    To help guide you into the new year, here are a few of our 2017 retail predictions.

Despite disappointing results from some retailers, overall holiday sales are shaping up to be in line with industry projections.  

Apparel retailer The Limited is out of the brick-and-mortar retail business.   The ailing chain, which has quietly been closing stores around the country for the past couple of weeks, announced the news with a short statement on its website on Friday, Jan. 6. The move was not unexpected. Limited has struggled amid increased competition from fast-fashion upstarts, both offline and online.   

Neiman Marcus Group is not going public anytime soon.    In a filing on Friday, the luxury department store retailer said it would withdraw its initial public offering, having determined "that it is not in its best interests" to proceed with the initial public offering at the current time.     

Online spending, and the amount of purchases made after the standard shipping deadline, were on the rise this holiday season.