Sales & Marketing

Seattle -- The global retail real estate market rebounded in the first half of the year, with international and luxury brands expanding to new markets and high street properties growing in popularity, according to a new report from Colliers International. Fifth Avenue in Manhattan claimed the highest rent, at $3,052 per square foot, followed by Hong Kong’s Queen's Road Central ($2,086) and Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui ($1,993), London’s Old Bond Street ($1,520) and Manhattan’s Madison Avenue ($1,325).

Hot Pockets is promoting its revamped sandwich line with the help of supermodel Kate Upton and rapper Snoop Dogg. The pair has teamed up in a parody music video called “You Got What I Eat” — a remix of Biz Markie’s 1989 hit single “Just a Friend (You Got What I Need).”

The music video highlights the brand’s re-launch of its Hot Pockets sandwiches which feature 100% Angus Beef and Hickory Ham, real cheese and buttery seasoned crusts.

Bloomington, Minn. — Bruegger’s Bagels will open this week in Mall of America as part of the first phase of the mall’s $2 billion expansion.

The Mall of America opening is another step in Bruegger’s effort to expand into non-traditional venues such as airports, colleges and hospitals. The 1,699-sq.-ft. bakery-café will seat 18 and offer additional seating in the food court.

I don’t want to be a Grinch, but things aren’t looking too promising for retailers who were hoping to end the year on a holiday high note. But, before I get into more predictions on retail sales this holiday season, it might be a good idea to talk a little bit about why I’m feeling so lukewarm about the prospects for a 2013 end-of-year bonanza.

OfficeMax has unveiled a Services Center in stores nationwide to provide business owners with essential operations support.

The OfficeMax Services Center offers an extensive portfolio of more than 40 services designed to relieve administrative burden and assist businesses with critical needs, including web design and maintenance, 24/7 On-Call Tech Support, printing and document management, marketing materials, shipping, credit card and payroll processing, human resource services and legal assistance.

New York -- Fifth & Pacific Cos., formerly known as Liz Claiborne, agreed to sell its Juicy Couture brand to Authentic Brands Group for $195 million, according to various reports.  

"This decision is the result of a process we began last year—studying our resource allocation needs, our capital structure, and the operating risks and opportunities associated with a three-brand portfolio while still maximizing shareholder value," said William McComb, CEO of Fifth & Pacific, in a statement.

Shoppers in the United States plan on spending an average of $646 on gifts this holiday season, representing an 11% increase over the $582 they planned to spend, on average, in 2012, according to Accenture’s annual holiday shopping survey. The forecast uptick is more optimistic than other holiday surveys released to date.

BeachMint, parent company of JewelMint, StyleMint, ShoeMint and intiMINT, has expanded its partnership with Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen, designers of the Row, Elizabeth and James, Olsenboye and StyleMint. 

The agreement names Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen co-chairs of BeachMint's advisory board, a role that will be consultative and creative in nature across the four fashion Mint brands. Previously the celebrity twins were partners and designers solely in BeachMint's apparel brand, StyleMint.