News

ADA Compliance, Litigation
One of the country’s foremost authorities on the Americans with Disabilities Act delivered an in-depth look at the law and how it is evolving at this year’s SPECS conference.
“The enforcement of the ADA has changed over the past 25 years and new areas that have risen to the top include point of sale, ATMs and websites,” said Joan W. Stein, president of Stein Consulting, at the “ADA Super Session.”
Inland’s Deal Machine Rolls On
Given the success of this year’s Fastest-Growing Acquirers, it’s understandable to think the process seems simple. Well, it’s not as easy as it looks, warned G. Joseph Cosenza, president of Oak Brook, Ill.-based Inland Real Estate Acquisitions. Quality must meet opportunity and yield, he said.
The grocery-anchored center remains as strong an investment as ever, Cosenza said. An Inland fund that’s dominated by grocery-anchored projects (approximately 80%) has 95% occupancy. Supermarket renewals are resulting in rent increases of 10% and higher.

Designing Safe Stores for Shoppers

Retailers continue their efforts to step up design investments to improve the customer experience, but they should also focus on investing in customer safety.
That message was driven home during the SPECS session, “Safe Stores: Design Ideas to Help Customers Feel Safer” Speaker Andrew McQuilkin, retail leader at BHDP Architecture, explained that recent “active” shootings — when individuals actively attempt to harm people in confined, populated areas — have targeted formerly “safe areas,” including malls.
Target Goes Next-Gen

New store format emphasizes convenience
In its most ambitious store redesign to date, Target Corp. will debut its next-generation format in October, in a 124,000-sq.-ft. store in Richmond, Texas. The new prototype is designed for flexibility and convenience, and will offer open sight lines and elevated product presentations. It also comes with a variety of timesaving features, physical as well as digital.
In addition, 40 additional Target stores will receive elements of the redesign when they are updated, also in October. And there is more to come.
In the Pink

Fast-fashion e-retailer shines in store debut
British online fast-fashion retailer Missguided makes the leap to physical retail with a high-concept, high-impact store that brings its website to life.
About the Future …

What will the stores of the future be like? It’s certainly not a new question, but it’s one that seems to have taken on increased urgency as the shift to digital continues and retailers, some of them under siege from more nimble online competitors, wrestle with how to ensure their stores remain relevant going forward. It’s also a question that is sure to be top of mind for the shopping center owners and brokers who gather at the end of May in Las Vegas for RECon, the annual retail real estate confab.
Using Data, IoT to ReInvent Store Experience

Chain Store Age recently spoke with Goro Yumiba, chairman and CEO of SATO Global Solutions, and learned how retailers can leverage Internet of Things solutions, including RFID, to bolster in-store experiences.
How can embracing the power of data improve retailers’ business processes, growth and results?
In today’s fast paced dynamic business environment, successful retailers must be responsive to the market and make decisions promptly. Enter the power of data.
SHOP TALK

Trending Stores: The Frye Company’s location in Denver took top honors as Store of the Year in the 2017 Shop! store design competition. With a design that celebrates the artisan heritage of Frye, one of the country’s oldest footwear companies, the 2,460-sq.-ft. store has a warm and comfortable vibe, with a modern ski-lodge aesthetic. Local references include a massive working fireplace dressed with stone from local quarries, and rugs woven with American Indian motifs.
The Squeeze from Bottom-Up, Top-Down

At a time when store closings and consolidations are dominating the headlines, understanding the underlying industry dynamics also requires paying close attention to new store openings. Brands that are expanding their footprints are providing a revealing look at how consumer shopping patterns, priorities and preferences are evolving. In turn, this shows what might be in store for the retail industry ahead.
Amazon: Breaking Down the Myths

There’s no denying that Amazon has changed the face of retail, but there are many misconceptions about how the company actually operates. Unfortunately, these fallacies are leading many retail companies into making bad strategic business decisions as they try to duplicate Amazon’s success.
The following is a breakdown of some myths — along with a few takeaways:
Retail Operators on the Ropes

As Congress reconvened after Easter, retail operators had a tremendous amount at stake. The industry is in an unprecedented state of strife with major legacy brands announcing large-scale closures.
If that’s not enough, here is another one to consider: Roughly 80,000 retail workers lost their jobs in the past year, a total that is greater than the number of workers in the entire coal industry. Clearly the disruptive impact of the online economy is quickly and permanently taking its toll on traditional retail operators.
Reimagining Cumberland Farms

Cumberland Farms, a convenience store fixture in New England and central Florida for half a century, once fielded more than 1,000 stores. But, it has slimmed down to 600 locations as it transforms itself from a strip-center and gas station dairy store to a chain of freestanding, modern C-stores providing an array of food service options and gasoline.