Department Store

New York — Nearly 7,600 attendees packed into the International Council of Shopping Centers New York National Conference and Deal Making, a 9.6% spike over last year and the largest year-on-year increase since 2009.

“The New York Conference acts as a strong bellwether for industry growth in the year to come,” said Michael P. Kercheval, president and CEO of ICSC. “When the conference sees an increase in attendance, the industry grows the following year; if attendance contracts, so too does the industry.”

Indianapolis — Simon Property Group has announced a plan to spin off all of its strip center business along with its smaller enclosed malls into an independent publicly traded REIT called SpinCo.

Boston — Boylston Properties and The Wilder Companies have completed phase one of the redevelopment of the Arsenal Mall in Watertown, Mass.The companies marked the occasion by announcing a new name for the mall: The Arsenal Project.

Completed enhancements to The Arsenal Project include a reconfigured interior layout with new seating, upgrades to the building’s exterior and landscaping. Oversized metal tree-planters now line Arsenal Street, the center’s entrance and other areas throughout the development.

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Deliv, the same-day delivery company, announced alliances with three of America’s largest mall operators, Simon Property Group, Macerich, and Westfield, to provide the convenience of same-day service to shoppers in malls across the U.S. starting this holiday season. This follows a similar same-day delivery partnership announcement from General Growth Properties (GGP).

Washington, D.C. – Retail sales in November increased a better-than-expected 0.7% seasonally-adjusted month-to-month, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. (The figure includes categories such as automobiles, gasoline stations, and restaurants.) Analysts were expecting sales to rise 0.6% in last month. The latest retail sales numbers were 4.7% above November 2012 numbers.

Amazon.com is the most popular U.S. online retail site when it comes to having Web content shared on Pinterest in the run up to Christmas 2013.

In a study of 10 top US retail sites, images and pages from Amazon.com are being shared most frequently on Pinterest, with Walmart and Apple taking second and third positions, respectively. According to a study conducted by digital marketing software and services specialist Searchmetrics, content from Amazon.com currently generates 16,360 pins per week, Walmart generates 5,778 pins per week and Apple generates 3,871.

The recession took a major toll on the retail real estate sector but, despite waffling consumer confidence, the sector continues to improve. Retail now accounts for 19% of total U.S. investment volume year-to-date 2013.

Retail experts from Jones Lang LaSalle predict four key forces that will drive an increase in the retail transaction market during 2014:

1. Strengthening Fundamentals  

New York -- J.C. Penny will eliminate the jcp menswear brand and reduce the assortments in its Joe Fresh, Michael Graves and Martha Stewart lines, Reuters reported. All four brands were introduced by former CEO Ron Johnson. Penney plans to use the resulting space to emphasize its exclusive private-label brands.