As the initial results came in for this year’s back-to-school retail spending forecasts, the numbers were about where I thought they might be: down a couple of percentage points. It’s a modest dip, and certainly nothing to be alarmed about given the degree to which back-to-school spending has spiked over the last decade (average back-to-school spending has increased 42 percent over the last 10 year period). So why is it that these numbers are raising some eyebrows among industry analysts and observers?
Archives for 2015
Stores like Bass Pro Shops and Restoration Hardware add restaurants and bars
Justine Griffin / Tampa Bay Times – How about a glass of wine to celebrate the $11,230 purchase of a Parisian burnham leather recliner from Restoration Hardware? At the new Restoration Hardware store opening in International Plaza this fall, shoppers won’t have to go farther than the three-story retailer’s rooftop garden bar for some wine and […]
With Top Golf and now Bass Pro Shops, Brandon is a destination
Justine Griffin / Tampa Bay Times – Veteran Realtor Randy Adkins can remember when Brandon was little more than cow pastures. But over the past few decades, Brandon has accumulated its share of the good and the bad that come with urban sprawl — chain stores and traffic, cookie-cutter neighborhoods and a big mall. But within […]
Publix grocery delivery service Shipt launches in Tampa Bay
Justine Griffin / Tampa Bay Times – The CEO of a company that began delivering Publix groceries Tuesday said “thousands” of Tampa Bay area residents have signed up for his mobile app-based service. Shipt, a new grocery delivery company, announced last week that it would bring its service to Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, allowing residents […]
Retail trends: Denim is hot, ‘bro tanks’ are not
Krystina Gustafson / CNBC – Could shoppers finally give apparel retailers the break they so desperately need? There’s no denying that it’s been a rough slog for the clothing industry as consumers increasingly shift their spending from things to experiences, opt for lower-price fashions and refuse to purchase an item if it isn’t on sale. […]
New Florida Mall Defies Retailing’s Headwinds
Geraldine Fabrikant/ The New York Times – It’s hard to conceive of a city that needs a new shopping mall in a country overpopulated with shopping sprawl. Yet about 10 years ago, the Taubman Centers, the national mall developer, teamed up with the Benderson Development Company, a real estate firm with headquarters in Sarasota, to build […]
