News

South Dakota sues four big online retailers over sales tax
South Dakota has filed a lawsuit against four online retailers, joining a growing number of other states in a battle that could well end up in the Supeme Court, according to a report by corporatecounsel.com
Lighting Rebate Trends
About two-thirds (64%) of the United States is covered by prescriptive lighting rebates, according to BriteSwitch, a rebate fulfillment company. These rebates can significantly reduce the installed cost of new lighting in existing buildings and improve payback by 20%-25%, which would reduce a two-year payback to about 1.5 years.

Despite the proliferation of the LED source, traditional lighting product rebates remain available.

Report: Target testing in-store robot

Target Corp. is testing a robot to track inventory on store shelves, Fortune reported. The one-week trial is being conducted a Target store in San Francisco.

Silicon Valley startup Robotics built the robot, called Tally, that can roll around the store, scanning products to determine if they have been misplaced, mispriced, or are low in stock, according to the report.

Click here for more, including a video of the robot in action.
Party City begins 80 store expansion – in Mexico

The first Party City location has opened in Mexico and with the help of strategic franchise partner Grupo Oprimax a total of 80 locations are planned.
Retailers making Miracle Mile moves

There is a lot of tenant activity going on at the Miracle Miles Shops in Las Vegas with several notable retailers expanding, renovating and growing new concepts.
Dunkin’ Donuts delivers the goods to Boston customers

Bostonians are notorious for their love of locally based coffee chain Dunkin’ Donuts, and now the retailer is making it easier for them to get their daily fix.

According to the Boston Herald, Dunkin’ Donuts is expanding a pilot of on-demand delivery to about 200 stores in the Greater Boston area. The retailer is partnering with third-party delivery services Favor and DoorDash, both of whom try to get items to customers within an hour of placing a digital order.
Transforming South Florida

If the real estate trope that “Fashion Follows Food” is true, then Metropica will be one of the most chic neighborhoods in South Florida. Among the first tenants announced for the retail portion of the transit-oriented, mixed-use complex now under construction in Sunrise are: True Food Kitchen, Kona Grill, Oil & Vinegar, Fogo de Chão and Shake Shack. These will be joined by iPic Theaters, Kings Bowl, Anthropologie, Free People and Kendra Scott, among other first-to-market retailers.
DSW opens new Virginia location

The Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach is home to the newest DSW footwear and accessories store.

The retailers said it opened a 16,000-sq.-ft. store at the Pembroke Mall and characterized the location as “the greatest shoe shopping destination in Virginia Beach,” offering more than 21,000 pairs of shoes.
WWW.Brick-and-Mortar.COM

At a time when more and more online retailers are successfully expanding to brick-and-mortar locations, it’s worth taking a moment to examine how those brands are approaching the site selection process. The specific and strategic considerations that online retailers review when assessing possible brick-and-mortar locations not only tells us a lot about what’s behind that thought process, but provides important hints about the priorities and perspectives shaping retailer behavior in an increasingly omnichannel world.
Ready for Prime Time

For all their differences, the shopping center owners and brokers from around the world who will gather at the end of May in Las Vegas for retail real estate’s annual RECon confab are alike in that they are all on the lookout for new retail concepts to lure and entice shoppers.

The good news is that there are plenty of newer brands ready to spread their wings. Some have been around for a couple of years, but are flush with new financing. Many are formerly pure players now turning their attention to physical stores.