Department Store

Go offline, young man: That appears to be the mantra of e-commerce merchants these days.

As competition in the world of online retailing heats up — with Amazon's ever-burgeoning dominance posing the biggest threat — more pure-players are taking the brick-and-mortar plunge. It's a reminder, many experts say, of the strong appeal of the in-store experience — even when stacked up against the convenience of online shopping.

NEW YORK — Target isn’t letting any grass grow under its feet when it comes to the suddenly hot category of home goods and home furnishings. The discounter has installed a giant, two-story dollhouse — some 21 ft. high and occupying some 1,500 sq. ft. of space — smack in the middle of Vanderbuilt Hall in New York City’s Grand Central Station. 

Liberty Center is a 64-acre, 1.1 million-sq.-ft. mixed-use development located in the North Cincinnati market. It will be comprised of 600,000 sq. ft. of retail, including at least one 200,000-sq.-ft. department store and 370,000 sq. ft. of specialty retail and restaurants. Liberty Center will also include 100,000 sq. ft. of Class A Office, a 135-key hotel and 220 luxury residential multi-family units. A 60,000-sq.-ft., 14-screen second-level upscale theater with integrated dining is also planned.

John Bucksbaum discusses post-recession realities

Bucksbaum Retail Properties opened for business in April 2012. The Chicago-based company has already opened one project and is working on four more.

The 53,000-sq.-ft. Kingsbury Center near North Chicago has opened with four tenants: Buy Buy Baby, PetSmart, Road Runner Sports and Jimmy Johns. It is a joint venture with Chicago-based Structured Development.

New York -- Target isn’t letting any grass grow under its feet when it comes to the suddenly hot category of home goods and home furnishings. The discounter has installed a giant, two-story dollhouse — some 21 ft. high and occupying some 1,500 sq. ft. of space — smack in the middle of Vanderbuilt Hall in New York City’s Grand Central Station. The temporary installation is designed to promote Target’s new Threshold brand and is completely furnished and accessorized with furniture, decor, and housewares from the collection.

A guest approaches the concierge desk and asks for help finding a gift. The concierge knows the retail selection and can help. If the product is unavailable here, the concierge will, if necessary, send her to another store across town.

That sounds like Nordstrom service.

But this isn't Nordstrom. It is the concierge desk at The Americana at Brand in Glendale, Calif., a mixed-use development from Los Angeles-based Caruso Affiliated. It's what happens at every center in the Caruso Affiliated portfolio of 2.1 million sq. ft. of retail and residential properties.

Von Maur got its start like many of its department store peers: An immigrant with an American dream opened a downtown store, customers came, they shopped, the brand took hold and took off.

In the case of the midwestern upscale department store banner Von Maur, the dreamer was German immigrant J.H.C. Petersen, who opened a downtown storefront in Davenport, Iowa, in 1872. He and his sons grew the business and sold it nearly a half-century later to a partnership that included two Austrian brothers — C.J. and Cable von Maur, whose family gained full ownership by 1937.

Plano, Texas -- In preliminary results, J.C. Penney Co. on Tuesday reported that same-store sales in its first quarter decreased approximately 16.6%, a deeper drop than was expected.  

The company, which will report full results on May 16, said that it anticipates total sales of approximately $2.635 billion for the quarter, down some 16.4% from $3.152 billion in the same period last year.