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 […]
blog-updates
Initial RECon
Every year, one of my personal highlights is the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) RECon convention in Las Vegas. It’s a chance both to connect with the fascinating leaders in our field, as well as to see a few steps into the future. RECon bills itself at the “global convention for the shopping center […]
The Hispanic Market Comes of Age
One topic that’s been on my mind lately is the growing Hispanic market in the U.S., and what its clout and purchasing power will mean for retailers — and, subsequently, for retail real estate — in the years ahead. “Emerging” is probably too mild of a word to describe the Hispanic market — exploding might be more accurate. In this edition of retail rap, I examine the impact and the ramifications of these significant demographic shifts for retail and retail real estate.
Restaurants Setting a New Course
The restaurant industry is going through some significant upheaval as demographic cultural trends have moved the target for consumer’s tastes. The last several years have seen an explosion of new restaurant concepts and categories reflecting these shifting preferences. Whether it’s the advent of fast-casual restaurants, the ongoing challenges of established chains such as Olive Garden […]
Hip Check
The influence of Millennial shoppers is hardly a new topic, but as I recently learned at the 2014 SPECS conference, Millennials are certainly a force to be reckoned with. Within six years, Millennials will represent 1/3 of all retail spending, making it imperative that retailers find ways to engage this group. But so far, from […]
Michigan Rising?
The Midwest is always a fascinating case study, but Michigan in particular presents some interesting food for thought. On a whole, the state doesn’t have to deal with some of the overcrowding and store closure issues we are seeing in other markets. A large part of that has to do with its underwhelming growth post-9/11 […]
