News

Placemaking, Steve Wynn style
Founded by Don and Barbara Brinkerhoff nearly a half century ago, Lifescapes International made its bones as an architectural landscaping firm on the Vegas Strip, where it created the fire show at The Mirage and the water show at the Bellagio. What the founding couple learned in Vegas, their daughter, Julie Brinkerhoff-Jacobs, now applies to retail and lifestyle centers like Triple Five’s American Dream and Rockefeller Center’s Channel Gardens.
Connected homes
IoT is making it easier for retailers to interact with consumers via connected home-based devices that allow consumers to interact with brands without launching a website or mobile app.
The best known is Amazon Echo, a voice activated device designed with an artificial intelligence assistant app called Alexa. Dedicated sensors in the device connect the consumer’s home to their retailers of choice, allowing, via voice commands, consumers to add items to virtual shopping lists or make online purchases.

SPECS 2017 update

Planning is well under way for the 53rd annual SPECS conference, which will be held at the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, Fla., March 12–14, 2017. The event is produced by Chain Store Age and is attended by retail and foodservice executives involved in the planning, design, construction and maintenance of stores and restaurants nationwide.
Time Equities buys Dearborn power center for $20.6 million

Mid-America Real Estate reported it has arranged the sale of the Fairlane Meadows Shopping Center in Dearborn, Michigan, to Time Equities for $20.6 million. The seller was Ramco-Gershenson Property Trust. The 157,225-sq.-ft. center is situated within a residential development of the same name. The store roster includes Best Buy, Citi Trends, David’s Bridal, Five Below, and Dollar Tree. It is shadow-anchored by Target and Burlington Coat Factory.
Whole Foods’ rapid solar rollout

Whole Foods Market is saving money and time — and benefiting the environment—by taking an innovative approach to going solar.
That’s according to an analysis by the Retail Industry Leaders Association and The Solar Foundation that found Whole Foods’ strategy of taking a standardized approach to rapid rollout of solar rooftop installations across multiple locations could be a valuable model for other retailers to consider.
Obeying new overtime rules

Updated regulations take effect Dec. 1 — are you ready?
In response to concern that wages at the low end of the pay scale were slow to rise, particularly for store managers and assistant store managers, the United States Department of Labor updated the Fair Labor Standards Act regulations defining which white collar workers must be paid overtime pay.
Redefining the space

Retailers, developers attempt to turn shopping centers into gathering places with stores
Digital moves fast. Business people who disregard the devastating waves of changes it leaves will inevitably be engulfed by them. Consider this rising marketplace tsunami detected by Deloitte Consulting:
A retail journey

IoT promises to deliver coveted seamless shopping experience, enterprise-wide visibility
To remain relevant in an omnichannel retailing world, brands must evolve operations to satisfy the way people shop. Armed with the Internet of Things (IoT), retailers position themselves to leverage the necessary operations to engage digitally savvy customers in an ever-changing business landscape.
Project Profiles

Park West Village

Location: Cary/Morrisville, North Carolina

Size: Approximately 750,000 sq. ft.

Owner: CASTO

Key tenants: Target, T.J. Maxx, Buy Buy Baby, Ross, PetSmart, Earth Fare, Chili’s, Travinia, Hallmark, Carter’s, Gander Mountain, Stone Theatres, Chico’s, White House Black Market, ULTA, Pier 1, Charming Charlie’s, Firebirds, Blackfinn Ameripub, LOFT, Starbucks
Energizing in-store ops

The omnichannel retailing model is forcing brands to bridge the gap between physical and digital retailing. Add in the power of the Internet of Things, and this business transformation is finally within reach. From beacons that send out personalized promotions to frequent shoppers, to smart mirrors that allow customers to virtually “try on” clothing, IoT technologies are transforming the store experience.
If digitally savvy shoppers have taught retailers anything it’s that a traditional shopping experience isn’t enough to drive loyalty.