Thomas Lee/Minneapolis Star-Tribune—The sign outside the big box in Richfield says Best Buy, but the inside of the building looks more like a mall than a single store. The usual Blue Shirts and Geek Squad agents scurry across the sales floor, but Samsung, Microsoft, Pacific Kitchen and Magnolia occupy their own domains within Best Buy. […]
Archives for 2013
Windows© of Opportunity
Best Buy and Microsoft recently announced an agreement to open Windows “stores” in 600 Best Buy locations across the country. Initially, this seems like a good strategy—Microsoft gets their products in front of more consumers while Best Buy becomes more experiential and better utilizes its large store footprints. In my mind, there are some clear […]
A shift in shopping center development
A shift in shopping center development Justine Griffin/Sarasota Herald-Tribune If there was advantage to the Great Recession for retailers — and suffice it say there were few — it is that the dearth of consumer spending and new store openings allowed chains and developers an easier time redeveloping properties. During the lengthy lull of the […]
Tax and Spend?
While there has been debate about the issue for years, the idea of an internet sales tax has gained steam recently, with the U.S. Senate passing the Marketplace Fairness Act in early May, and President Obama on the record as supporting it. In my opinion, the impact of an internet sales tax is two-fold. Online […]
P.F. Chang’s debut ends long journey
P.F. Chang’s debut ends long journey Justine Griffin/Sarasota Herald-Tribune Monday evening’s opening of this region’s first P.F. Chang’s China Bistro signals the end of a long hunt by the high-end, Asian-themed restaurant. The 270-seat restaurant, at U.S. 41 and Osprey Avenue, caps years of searching in and around Sarasota and represents another signal that Southwest […]
Microsoft launching 600 stores within Best Buy and Future Shop
Microsoft launches 600 stores within Best Buy and Future Shop Janet Tu/The Seattle Times Microsoft last fall launched a vastly redesigned operating system with Windows 8, which the company hoped would launch it boldly into the mobile-devices arena. The problem was many users found Windows 8 confusing. And the devices Windows 8 was designed to […]
