Department Store

Sea lions, submarines and enough space for 800 stores. That's what the owners of the Mall of America in Minnesota are proposing for the American Dream mall in the Miami suburbs, which could some day be America's biggest mall, according to the Miami Herald.

The newspaper says the project is estimated to cost $4 billion, span 200 acres and employ more than 25,000 people.

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.

Kansas City, Kan. -- Coach will permanently extend its temporary stay at Kansas City’s signature designer outlet shopping destination, Legends Outlets Kansas City. The permanent location, which will nearly double the existing pop-up footprint, is slated to open fall 2015.

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.

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.

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.

Kohl’s pursues ‘Greatness Agenda’ with enterprise omnichannel initiatives

If you’re going to create an agenda, it may as well be an ambitious one. And the “Greatness Agenda” being pursued by Kohl’s Corp. is certainly that.

“Our strategy is to be the most engaging retailer in the U.S.,” Janet Schalk, executive VP and CIO of Kohl’s, explained during an interview with Chain Store Age.

By Ryan Condren, CPEX Real Estate