Apparel

Average spending per person over Thanksgiving weekend totaled $289.19, down from $299.60 last year, according to a survey conducted by National Retail Federation.  

  The Fung Global Retail & Technology team visited 35 stores throughout the Greater New York City area and Las Vegas on Black Friday for a first-hand view on traffic and sales.  Here are their top five takeaways from their store visits:  Cyber Monday Starts Early for Walmart:  Walmart kicked off its Cyber Monday deals at 12:01am EST on Friday for the first time ever, as it aims to grab customers ahead of its competitors. Last year, the company posted its Cyber Monday deals on the Sunday evening following Thanksgiving.

It still comes down to price.    Despite more modern approaches, 89% of consumers said that deep discounts (including coupons) are the key determinant of what stores they will visit for holiday shopping this year, according to a survey of millennial and Generation Z consumers conducted by HRC Retail Advisory.    In addition to finding that sales and coupons are more influential than any other tactic in motivating consumers to enter stores this holiday season, the survey also revealed: 

Quincy Plaza in Ottumwa, Iowa, was purchased by Beaumont, Texas-based Albanese Cormier Holdings for $5.5 million. Mid-America Real Estate brokered the deal on behalf of a fund managed by Cincinnati-based Phillips Edison.   The 137,389-sq.-ft center is anchored by Kmart, Hobby Lobby, and Rent-A-Center in the southern Iowa retail hub on the Des Moines River. Quincy Plaza is located across the roadway from Target and the Quincy Place Mall.

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To help its shoppers get in the holiday shopping spirit, Express is launching exclusive holiday Snapchat filters. To celebrate the biggest shopping day of the year, Express will roll out a series of five Black Friday and holiday-themed national Snapchat filters throughout the day on Black Friday, Nov. 25. The Express-sponsored filters include "It Runs in the Fam," "But First Coffee," "Black Friday Beast Mode," "Leftovers are Lit," and "The Party Starts Now.”

Inspired by its West Hollywood Design District locale, Lululemon’s new store on Melrose Avenue offers a sleek, stylish and modern shopping environment.    Modern ivy leaf-inspired patterns throughout the interior and exterior, along with the use of reclaimed red wood and iron spot brick, highlight the architectural components of the 2,750-sq.-ft. space.    

Urban Outfitters posted sales and earnings for its third quarter that failed to meet analysts expectation amid a traffic slowdown and increased promotions at its Anthropologie and Free People stores.   Urban Outfitters earned $47 million, or 40 cents a share, in the third quarter ended Oct. 31, compared with $52 million, or 42 cents a share, in the year-ago period.   Sales rose 5% to $862 million, compared with $825 million a year ago. Same-store sales, which include online, rose 1%.  

Kimco Realty Corp. takes the top spot in Chain Store Age’s 12th annual Top Redevelopers survey, with 2,669,999 sq. ft. redeveloped. Kimco’s redevelopment reach in 2015-2016 spanned 19 states and Canada, as the company touched 39 projects in all.   (The survey analyzed redevelopment work from mid-year to mid-year in the 12-month period from June 2015 to June 2016.)       Vestar claimed the #2 spot, with 1,930,000 sq. ft. developed, followed by Westfield, with 1, 743 sq. ft.