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January 23, 2013
No Reservations

A new research report by The NPD Group unveiled information I already knew: the restaurant space is growing by leaps and bounds. In fact, the total restaurant count in the U.S. increased by 4,442 units over last year, according to NPD’s recent restaurant census Fall 2012 ReCount.

January 4, 2013
NRF isn’t just for techies

As I prepare to pack my bags for New York to spend a few days in the NYC office and attend the National Retail Federation’s “Big Show” held at Javit’s Center from Jan. 13 to 15, I feel compelled to bring up this point about the annual NRF convention: it isn’t just for techies.

September 19, 2012
Whole Foods’ Fashion Debut

Whole Foods seems to have figured out that a mall setting shouldn’t be a real estate deterrent. In fact, it might be a real asset.

July 25, 2012
Chick-Fil-A’s views hinder real estate deals

I make no political, ethical, religious or moral statement here. I am a journalist, and I have no right – or desire – to espouse my personal viewpoints in this forum.

July 12, 2012
Hong Kong, anyone?

If Hong Kong is part of your global expansion initiatives, be prepared to pay the freight.

May 24, 2012
RECon 2012: Platform for talk of recovery

As retailers and shopping center executives returned to their respective home bases following their biggest show of the year – RECon – they did so with talk of recovery echoing in their ears.

May 9, 2012
Regional malls alive and kicking

That’s not a bad headline leading into RECon 2012 next week in Las Vegas. Not that I can take credit for the verbiage; “Regional malls alive and kicking” is a report issued by SNL Real Estate, Charlottesville, Va.

According to SNL’s information, despite stalled growth in household income, regional malls have held their own, boosted by ongoing consumer interest in luxury items. In fact, occupancy levels at domestic regional malls owned by U.S. REITs moved to 93.2% by the end of 2011, from 91% at the end of 2009. That’s recovery for you.

April 5, 2012
Real Estate and tech, through a Millennial’s eyes

First, who said technology coverage has little to do with retail real estate commentary?

March 14, 2012
Urban shrink?

CSA editor-in-chief Marianne Wilson and I go to great lengths to report new store openings on Chainstoreage.com. We pore through convoluted retail financial statements – sometimes twice daily – to uncover news that a chain has its sights set on even a little net new store growth for the year ahead.

February 10, 2012
Lease-less in Seattle

Ron Johnson isn’t afraid of making waves. Just as my page-neighbor Jeff Green suggested in his latest column, “A Penney for your Thoughts,” the Apple-CEO-turned-JCP-chief is keenly focused on reinventing a department store dinosaur into a sleek, well-oiled retail machine. And if that means reneging on prior deals, so be it.

January 27, 2012
Are you a mover and shaker?

If you are a shopping center owner or manager, I’m talking to you! It’s that time of year again – when Chain Store Age begins collecting data to publish our annual report on America’s top developers and fastest-growing acquirers and third-party managers.

December 12, 2011
Value-add, Valu-text

A few days and about 15 meetings later, I am brimming with updates and stories from the annual International Council of Shopping Centers’ New York Deal-Making Convention in New York City.

November 29, 2011
Playing the Privacy Card

t seemed like such a great idea at the time. On Nov. 17, we reported that mall owner Forest City had hatched this innovative plan to monitor shopping patterns at two of its shopping centers by tracking patrons’ cell phones during the holiday 2011 season, beginning Black Friday.

November 14, 2011
Tips for Using Live Blogging to Promote Events

By Jacqueline Zenn, SociaLogic

October 10, 2011
Remembering Jack Buley

On March 22, 2011, Canadian retailer tb!s The Bargain Shop named top American retail executive Beryl “Jack” Buley as its new president and CEO.

September 23, 2011
Burying Borders: An historic funeral home site re-tenants after the book store’s death

n the December 2007 issue of Chain Store Age, I wrote about an historic structure on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans, long-occupied by House of Bultman Funeral Home that was undergoing an extensive redevelopment to accommodate the first Borders bookstore in Orleans Parish.

August 29, 2011
Good night, Irene. Good morning, Paris.

As Hurricane Irene raged up the East Coast over the weekend of Aug. 26-28, Apple -- like many retailers strategically positioned in the storm’s path -- turned out the lights on its New York-area stores, including all three Manhattan locations, New Jersey and Connecticut, to shield itself from Irene’s wrath.

November 18, 2010
Closing the lid on a local Jack in the Box

Near my Baton Rouge, La., neighborhood is a Jack in the Box fast-food restaurant that, from all cursory indications, had appeared to be surviving the recession.

January 21, 2010
Rose Paving launches blog site

Rose Paving Co., a leader in parking lot management solutions and services, announced the launch...

February 29, 2008
The Blogging Bandwagon

Everyone seems to have a blog these days—from outspoken politicians to grandmothers who write...

February 29, 2008
Touchdown, Web 2.0

Even before The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots in the final...

October 31, 2007
New Blog Entry: Blogging About Anthropolgie

Check out the latest blog posting, “Blogging About Anthropolgie,” by clicking on the RetailView banner. ...

October 24, 2007
New Blog Entry: A Message from Maternity Leave

Check out the...

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