Justine Griffin / Herald Tribune – The Mall at University Town Center will be more than a luxury hub for Southwest Florida’s most rabid shoppers, it also will serve as a “temperature taker” for the retail industry. Some national retail chains opening new stores in the $315 million project will do so for the first […]
Archives for 2014
Juicy Couture closes stores in Arizona
Angelique Soenarie / AZ Central – An iconic fashion brand is closing its boutique stores, many of them at malls and shopping centers. Juicy Couture, known for its lush rhinestone decorated track suits, handbags and jewelry, is closing all of its U.S. stores, according to recent media reports. Fans of the luxury brand can still […]
The Numbers Game
Believe it or not (and I can barely believe it myself), the critical back-to-school period at the end of summer is right around the corner. While back-to-school is always big for retailers, this year’s period could be an especially important one, as 2014 has been underwhelming so far. As I started to consider the issue, what […]
Taubman sells 7 of its U.S. centers
Justine Griffin / Herald Tribune – Taubman Centers, one of the developers of the new high-end mall in Sarasota County, is selling seven other shopping centers to Starwood Capital Group for $1.4 billion.
The Michigan-based company helping to create the Mall at University Town Center — the only enclosed mall scheduled to open this year in the U.S. — is shedding seven of its underperforming centers in an effort to reinvest in its more profitable ones and in future projects, retail analysts say.
Bass Pro Shops poised to build store in Sarasota
Justine Griffin & Josh Salman / Herald Tribune – Bass Pro Shops plans to begin construction on a 140,000-square-foot store here sooner rather than later, local building contractors say.
The megastore outdoor chain, which sells fishing, camping, hunting, boating and other gear, is inviting construction companies nationwide to bid on the project at a Benderson Development-owned plot in Sarasota County, near the under-construction Mall at University Town Center.
Jeff Green shares his biggest RECon takeaways with Phoenix Business Journal
Jeff Green comments on RECon takeaways – “We’re seeing more and more shopping centers and malls being redeveloped into hybrid centers, in part because our industry is getting smarter about the impact of local demographics. Twenty years ago, all malls looked the same with a cookie-cutter, formulaic mix of tenets, and now we’re seeing individual communities become a much more important part of the picture in selecting retailers. Local chef-driven restaurant concepts—an emerging trend of the past few years—have truly hit their stride. Today, developers are seeing these concepts as draws that can really broaden the appeal and reach of a specific center. It’s all about creating unique destinations for shoppers.”
