News

Gainesville’s Butler North tops off with Total Wine
The Butler North component of Butler Enterprises’ massive retail complex in Gainesville, Florida, brings itself close to 100% occupancy with next week’s opening of Total Wine & More. The 20,000-sq.-ft store is the latest in a series of new store openings at the center. Also debuting there over the past four months were Walmart Supercenter, Aldi, Marshalls, Payless Shoe Source, and Dollar Tree.
Sure sign of the holidays
Lord & Taylor takes customers on a whimsical winter journey in the 79th annual holiday window display at its Manhattan flagship on Fifth Avenue. With an Enchanted Forest theme, the five windows portray scenes of a winter wonderland and are filled with 34 hand-sculpted holiday animals. Each vignette is enhanced with over 350 square feet of LED walls. The store’s façade features more than 9,000 ft. of mixed garland, foliage, twinkling lights and holiday music

Alex and Ani makes exec appointment

Alex and Ani has promoted Cindy DiPietrantonio to president of the company. DiPietrantonio joined the jewelry and lifestyle brand in July 2016 as interim COO, and her transition to president has happened in “a very natural, organic way,” the company said.
First Look: Nike SoHo is something to see — and experience

Nike has upped its game in downtown Manhattan. The athletic giant has opened a five-level, multi-sport category outpost in the heart of New York City’s SoHo neighborhood.
Report: Almost two-thirds of shoppers plan to skip Cyber Monday

While a majority of shoppers are ready to shop online this holiday season, many will sit out Cyber Monday this year. This detail was highlighted in “Computop 2016 Holiday Shopping Study.” Computop’s report, which is based on responses from over 1,900 consumers across the United States and UK, found that 76% planned to shop online this holiday season. However, 62% of those respondents don’t plan to shop on Cyber Monday, noting it doesn’t offer the deals it used to previously.
San Antonio approves Lone Star brewery project

San Antonio’s zoning commission voted has approved a $300 million makeover of the city’s shuttered Lone Star Brewery. Three previous attempts to redevelop the 32-acre site dating back to 1996 never materialized. The co-project of CBL and Aqualand Development will be a mixed-use property combining retail, hotel, residential, and office space. Cinemark Theaters and Punch Bowl Social — a dining and gaming center with locations in Denver, Austin, and Cleveland — have signed on as the first tenants.
Minimum wage hikes approved in four states

Retailers and other employers of minimum-wage earners can expect to see their labor costs go up in four states. Voters in the states of Colorado, Maine, Washington, and Arizona all approved measures to raise their state’s minimum wage in Tuesday’s election. The biggest hike will be in Maine, where the minimum hourly pay will increase from $7.50 to $12 by 2020, and later increasing with inflation.
With FedEx’s help, Newegg expands it online order pick-up game

To compete with Amazon’s pickup points and lockers, Newegg now offers order pickup service across more than 2,500 locations. While most online shoppers ship items to their homes, a growing number of people prefer the security and convenience of retrieving their packages at a store or retail location. Through a partnership with FedEx, Newegg shoppers can now order and pick-up packages at more than 2,500 FedEx locations throughout the United States, including 1,800 FedEx Office retail stores.
Alibaba off to blistering start on Singles Day

Chinese shoppers were so eager to participate in Singles Day that they purchased more in the first hour than the entire 24-hour event in 2013. Specifically, more than $7 billion of gross merchandise volume (GMV) was settled through Alipay on Alibaba’s China and international retail marketplaces within the first two hours of the 2016 “11.11 Global Shopping Festival,” according to a company statement. The annual shopping event kicked off at 12 a.m. China Time, on Nov. 10.
New pads planned for NRDC properties in New Jersey

National Realty & Development Corp. has announced that new pad buildings will begin going up at two of its centers in New Jersey. McDonald’s will enter Liberty Square Center in Burlington with a newly constructed 3,911-sq.-ft. store on one of the property’s outparcels. The 380,383-sq.-ft. Liberty Square is anchored by Walmart Supercenter, Acme, Marshalls, and Toys “R” Us.