Supermarket/Grocery

Chicago -- While retailers have collected years of customer data, only 9% are leveraging the information in a structured, usable way, according to HRC Advisory, a leading strategic retail advisory firm and unit of Hilco Global. The finding is part of HRC’s latest retail industry study, which found that outdated organizational structures and processes, non-integrated IT platforms and a lack of a clear roadmap are major barriers preventing customer data in enabling a retailer’s omnichannel efforts.

By Matthew K. Harding, president, Levine Management

Moving into the final months of 2014, the outlook for retail in the Northeast remains quite positive. We are seeing demand from national, local and franchise companies across a broad range of categories.
 

Chicago – Retail is the top industry targeted for data breaches. According to the 2014 Global Security Report from cybersecurity provider Trustwave, retail made up 35% of attacks Trustwave investigated in 2013.

Food and beverage ranked second at 18% and hospitality ranked third at 11%. In addition, POS breaches accounted for 33% of Trustwave’s 2013 investigations, while e-commerce made up 54% of assets targeted and data centers comprised 10% of assets targeted. The median number of days from initial intrusion to detection was 87 days.

Curbing the rising cost of utilities can improve the bottom line

For multi-site retail companies, energy efficiency makes business sense. It allows retailers to reduce cost and risk, and create good will with investors, employees, customers and the government. Ultimately, it also helps improve the bottom line.

When it comes to energy management, reducing operating cost should be the focus where the cost of energy is a sizeable part of operating the business.

Mixed-use projects have become a consumer home base

The concept of a shopping center as a place where people simply show up to make a few purchases and leave is becoming passé. Increasingly, developers are building mixed-use centers that include residential, office and entertainment components, which turn them more into a consumer home base and less of a functional destination.

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) reportedly wants to expand a pilot of a grocery delivery service it has been testing with Amazon.com in the San Francisco area. According to the Wall Street Journal, the USPS has applied to run a two-year test of the service.

New York -- More than half of consumers will spend more for the Halloween holiday than they’ll spend for either Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, according to the 2014 Halloween Happenings Survey by Alliance Data Retail Services, which manages credit card programs.

Some highlights include:

• 67% of consumers buy Halloween candy that they like, in case they want to enjoy a few treats before the tricksters ring the bell.

Virginia Beach, Va. – The Investment Sales Group of Divaris Real Estate Inc. has brokered the sale of Shippensburg Marketplace in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania for $12 million. Divaris represented the seller, ACL Realty Corp., in the transaction; American Realty Capital Properties, Inc. was the purchaser.

Shippensburg Marketplace is a 56,875-sq.-ft., Giant-anchored shopping center. The property was developed in 2002 and was 94% occupied at the time of the sale.