Apparel

Check out the big chill at Barneys
Barneys New York is bringing an icy winter chill—literally—to its holiday windows.

With a theme of “Chillin’ Out,” the specialty retailer has transformed the windows of its Manhattan flagship into a winter wonderland, complete with 35-foot fully functioning ice locker that features daily live ice carving.
The priciest retail corridor in the world—by a long shot
When it comes to retail rents, Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue is really in a class by itself.

Upper Fifth Avenue, between 49th and 60th streets, is the most expensive retail corridor in the world, with rents rising 3.6% to $3,500 per sq. ft. through the first half of this year, according to a annual report from Cushman & Wakefield. (The top 10 streets are listed at end of article.)

Fifth Avenue rent was nearly double that of the second priciest corridor, Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, at $2,399 per sq. ft.

The North Face continues in-store foray into virtual reality

Shoppers in select North Face stores will be able to experience winter in Nepal up close and personal.

The retailer, in collaboration with Jaunt Studios, a leading supplier of fully-immersive cinematic virtual reality experiences, is launching a new VR experience titled “The North Face: Nepal.” The content will be available for all smartphone users, and in the company’s stores in San Francisco, New York, and the brand’s new Regent Street location in London.
Off-price store to make New York City debut

The off-price wars are heating up in New York City.

Saks Fifth Avenue will open its first Saks Off 5th outlet in New York City, in a 32-story office tower at 125 East 57th Street, in March 2016. The store will feature a lobby entrance at street level, which will access two lower level floors.

“The addition of a new Saks Off 5th store at this strategic location will be a dramatic game changer for 57th Street retail east of Park Avenue,” said Charles S. Cohen, president and CEO of Cohen Brothers Realty Corp., which owns the property.
Retail Road Trip: Top 10 New Stores, New York City

The influx of new retail into New York City, from brands both familiar and ones new to our shores, continued unabated in 2015. Everyone has their favorites. Here are mine:

Flying Tiger
How TJX is avoiding the retail sales slump

TJX shows no signs of losing its popular appeal with shoppers as the company reported stronger than expected traffic and same-store sales in the third quarter.

For the third quarter ended Oct. 31, same store sales at TJX Companies rose 5.3%. The company said net income fell to $587.3 million, from $595 million a year earlier. On a per share basis, net income rose to 86 cents per share from 85 cents, as the company had fewer shares outstanding. Revenue rose to $7.75 billion from $7.37 billion.
Dollar General offers its holiday deals guide

Dollar General is looking to help its customers stretch their budget this holiday season with an updated assortment of toys, as well as digital coupons, hot deals and low prices online and in-store.
All gift cards not created equal—especially when it comes to resale

Popularity and resale value do not always correlate when it comes to gift cards.

Visa is tops in a ranking of the gift cards expected to be most popular this holiday season.

Rounding out the top 10: American Express; iTunes; Wal-Mart; Target; Starbucks; Netflix; eBay and Google Play. The ranking is from CardHub, a credit card comparison Web site owned by Evolution Finance.
Urban Outfitters in very surprising acquisition move

In a new expansion of food and retail, Urban Outfitters Inc. is acquiring a Philadelphia-based restaurant chain. The move comes as many retailers are working to make their stores more experiential by adding various services, including food and beverages, to the mix.
Dillard's hit by department store doldrums

Dillard’s joined Macy's and Nordstrom Monday in struggling against weaker than expected traffic and sales in the third quarter.
Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls welcomes new retailers

Macerich announces the recent arrival of several retailers to Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls located in Niagara Falls, New York. New brands include Victoria’s Secret, Kipling, Columbia Sportswear, Mountain Warehouse and Calvin Klein Underwear.

Niagara Falls recent expansion brings the property size to more than 700,000 sq. ft. with a total of 200 stores and 1,100 additional parking spaces near Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH – making Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls one of the largest outlet malls in the country.
Tanger Outlets begins construction of a new outlet center

Tanger Outlets announced it has acquired land in Daytona Beach, Florida and plans in to immediately commence construction of its new outlet center development. When complete, the new center will beapproximately350,000 sq. ft. of retail space and feature over 80 upscale brand name and designer outlet retailers.