Apparel

Miami Gardens, Fla. -- Palmetto Park has broken ground on the inline space at Palmetto Gardens Plaza, a 63,000-sq.-ft. shopping center located at 3799 NW 167th St. in Miami Gardens, Florida. Anchor tenant Wal-Mart Neighborhood Store was recently completed and is now open.  

Peoria, Ill. -- Apparel and accessories retailer Leopard Boutique will open a 1,273-sq.-ft. store at The Streets of St. Charles, in Peoria, Illinois. The trendy boutique has finalized its lease and will join the mixed-used development in May as the newest retail store in the development.

Leopard Boutique will be located in suite 150 at the ground level near the cross streets of Beale Street and Nichols Road at the base of the five-story luxury residential apartment building that is currently 85% occupied.

Seattle -- Nordstrom on Friday opened the doors to its store at Rideau Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. The 157,000-sq.-ft. store is the retailer’s second location to date in Canada.

"We are thrilled to welcome Nordstrom to Rideau Centre, which is a major milestone and component in the shopping centre's $360 million multi-year redevelopment project," said John Sullivan, president and CEO, The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited.

New York  -- Foot Locker posted better than expected fourth quarter earnings on Friday, amid strong holiday sales. Net income jumped 21% to $146 million in the quarter, up from $121 million last year.

Total sales in the quarter increased 6.7% to $1.91 billion, also beating estimates of $1.87 billion. Same-store sales rose 10%.

By Ryan Condren, CPEX Real Estate

Open-air centers go far beyond shopping

Smart retailing, deep services and creative marketing lure shoppers to top malls

The retail industry is ever-changing, with shoppers now looking to malls as a place of both business and socialization. A constant evolution of attractions is needed to entice them to visit a center and then keep them coming back on a consistent basis.

Savvy mall owners are challenged to practice smart retailing and deliver creative, on-trend marketing tactics when leasing, marketing and operating shopping centers.

Savvy retailers using technology to update look, feel of physical stores

What’s going to keep people coming back to physical store locations, as comfort levels with e-commerce rise every year? Savvy retailers are fighting technology with technology, refreshing the look and feel of their stores by integrating more gadgets, and using data in a more integrated way to inform strategy.

Technology is helping stores provide shoppers with a personalized experience.

Stores mix fashion with the best of digital and physical retail

Rebecca Minkoff has tapped into a sweet spot when it comes to integrating the best of online and offline retail.

The designer’s first two U.S. flagships, in downtown Manhattan and the Pacific Heights section of San Francisco, are showcases for how to use technology to create a highly personalized and engaging shopping experience in a physical space.

The store is back, baby! That was the message I heard again and again at the National Retail Federation’s 2015 Annual Convention in New York City. It was sounded by retailers, consultants and tech suppliers alike as they rushed to explain the relevance of offline retail in an omnichannel world.

But the truth is the store never went away in the first place. Sure, some retailers are retrenching and reducing (or, in today’s PC lingo, “rightsizing”) their portfolios. It’s especially evident in the apparel sector, with some teen brands particularly hard hit.