Apparel

The 45-acre Assembly Row in Boston breaks almost all the rules for the traditional model for outlet centers. Just three miles from downtown Boston, Assembly Row is an urban-style mixed-use center with a wide range of outlet retail options alongside entertainment components like LEGOLAND Discovery Center, AMC Theatres and over a dozen restaurants from Legal Sea Foods to Vancouver, B.C.-based Earls Kitchen + Bar.

The recent KronosWorks 2015 conference was held in Las Vegas, a city built on taking chances. However, increasing automation of workforce management tasks is helping retailers remove the risk from activities such as scheduling, staffing and hiring.

Here are three hot automation trends highlighted at KronosWorks that are helping retailers win the workforce management game.

So many new stores, so little space. Here are my top faves of the year:

There has been a bit of controversy lately regarding Urban Outfitters’ recent request that some of their salaried employees “volunteer” to fill normally hourly roles in fulfillment centers and retail outlets.

Some parts of the country are still waiting for economic recovery, but the Northeast is already enjoying a return to financial prosperity.

The Northeastern U.S. offers a consumer base that is better educated and wealthier than that of many other areas. As a result, vacancies in Northeast centers tend to be low, giving landlords leverage in determining rents and tenant mixes.

Project Owner: PREIT

Company HQ: Philadelphia

Project Location: Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Project Size: 1.3 million sq. ft.

Project Status: Open and operating

Company Website: www.preit.com

REI's plea asking shoppers to skip Black Friday and go outside has prompted nearly 1 million endorsements for the retailer's #OptOutside social media campaign.

The Seattle-based retailer announced Monday that more than 150 other companies, nonprofit organizations and agencies that support state and national parks are also encouraging people to spend Black Friday outside. As Thanksgiving approaches, REI says it plans to recognize the hundreds of thousands of people and partner organizations that are opting to enjoy the outdoors with friends and family.

Outlet malls are often associated with not only appealing deals on name-brand products, but also with driving long distances to get to the far-flung locations where outlets have traditionally been located.

But that is all changing — and changing fast.