BLOG POSTS BY THIS AUTHOR
Oct 2019
Oct 11
The Experience-to-Stuff Ratio
It’s no secret that a successful retail center of any kind in 2019 — be it an outdoor center or an enclosed mall — must re-jigger its mix to include a wide variety of food, beverage, and entertainment-based tenants.
ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR
Sep 2021
Sep 23
Tenants are told to vacate the mall at Harborplace in downtown Baltimore
In the 1980s, Rouse’s Harborplace development in Baltimore was a model “festival marketplace” copied by declining downtowns across the country. This year, however, its mall will be closing.
Sep 22
A&G claims a second award for the restructuring of Tuesday Morning
A&G Real Estate Partners was recognized along with other advisory and banking firms that assisted Tuesday Morning in its restructuring.
Sep 21
Macerich sells Tucson center to fuel its town center strategy with $100 million
Macerich, one of the top 20 owners of retail real estate in the U.S., has sold La Encatada, a high-end specialty center in Tucson for $165 million, generating $100 million in liquidity.
Sep 20
Phillips Edison sells California center
Phillips Edison & Company, one of the nation’s leading owner-operator of neighborhood centers, has sold Atwater Marketplace in Atwater, Calif. For an undisclosed price to a private investor.
Sep 17
First Look: American Dream opens its 300,000-sq.-ft. luxury retail wing
The Avenue, American Dream’s long-awaited, art-bedecked luxury wing opened September 17 with the world’s largest Hermés store and New Jersey’s only Saks Fifth Avenue among its tenants.
Sep 17
Dayton’s project developer retakes control of the historic Minneapolis property
The Dayton's Project in downtown Minneapolis is back in the hands of its original developer.
Sep 16
Burlington opens second store in Kalamazoo metro
Burlington Stores has signed at Maple Hill Pavilion in Kalamazoo, Mich., and plans to open there this fall. It’s Burlington’s second story in that metro, the other being located in Portage, Mich.
Sep 15
Art and commerce meet in Westfield’s can-petition
This major mall owner invited suppliers and allied businesses to erect sculptures in its malls.
Sep 13
Ripco hires Cushman vet to manage retail leasing in Manhattan and Brooklyn
Betty Castro, who directed Cushman & Wakefield’s Manhattan office leasing for the past three years, has moved into a similar role in retail leasing with Ripco Real Estate.
Sep 13
5Qs for Brian Finnegan on changes in neighborhood center tenants
Mall owners have spent a lot of the last year in lease renegotiations with tenants. Not so much with owner-operators of community and neighborhood centers, according to Brixmor chief revenue officer Brian Finnegan.
Sep 13
First Look: Pop-up replica of Moe’s Tavern from 'The Simpsons' opens for business
Homer’s hangout, Moe’s Tavern, is now open for a short time at Springfield Mall in Springfield, Pa.
Sep 09
Visitors under 18 must be with an adult to enter Lenox Square in Buckhead
Simon Property Group has established a “Youth Supervision Policy” requiring kids under 18 to be accompanied by a parent or other adult when entering its Lenox Square mall in Atlanta’s fashionable Buckhead district after 3 p.m.
Sep 08
WPG to delist from the New York Stock Exchange
Major mall owner Washington Prime Group has announced that it will voluntarily delist its stocks from the New York Stock Exchange at the end of the month.
Sep 08
New owner plans new life for Willow Bend mall in Plano
Spinoso Real Estate Group has acquired Shops at Willow Bend—the mall in Plano, Texas, that Starwood Retail Group renovated in 2016—with plans to make changes that will increase traffic.
Sep 07
JLL: Orlando’s one of the hottest post-pandemic markets
The U.S. population churned wildly during the pandemic, but 61,000 new residents flocked to Orlando in 2020.
Sep 03
Center owner creates podcast series featuring tenants
Backstory Beginnings give local tenants a chance to tell their stories
Sep 02
Lady Gaga to launch new album with a performance sponsored by Westfield
Lady Gaga fans can get access to a digital streaming of her performing her new album, Love For Sale, through a hookup provided by mall operator Westfield.
Sep 02
Macy’s acquisition completes Festival’s Simi Valley site plan
The Festival Companies has purchased the former Macy’s parcel contiguous to its Simi Valley Town Center, about halfway between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.
Sep 01
Atlantic Station asks guests, ‘What’s your sign?’
Hines's mixed-use center in Atlanta invites patrons to have some fun with the autumnal equinox.
Aug 2021
Aug 31
The mall built as part of Columbia, Md., turns 50
The Mall in Columbia, built as the social centerpiece of James Rouse’s master-planned community of Columbia, Md., is celebrating its 50th Anniversary.
Aug 27
85% of Americans want to go back to the office post-pandemic
A new survey provides a glimpse of what workplace populations will be like post-pandemic
Aug 27
Shopping is delayed in NYC; only 4 out of 10 workers to return by October
Major Manhattan employers surveyed this month said that just 23% of office workers have returned to the office.
Aug 26
Westfield sues Starbucks for $5 million for not re-opening at World Trade Center
Charging that Starbucks violated the lease for its store at Westfield World Trade Center in New York, Unibail Rodamco Westfield has filed suit against the coffee chain for $5.2 million in back rent and future rent.
Aug 25
Tanger Outlets celebrates its 40th anniversary
Shirt manufacturer Stanley B. Tanger opened the very first outlet store in North Carolina in 1981
Aug 25
Von Maur to close at one Des Moines mall and move to another
The Iowa-based department store chain Von Maur has decided to close its store at Valley West Mall in Des Moines next fall and open a new store in the metro’s other mall, Jordan Creek Town Center.
Aug 24
Big mixed-use project tops out in Research Triangle
Fenton, the 69-acre mixed-use district set to open next year in Cary, N.C., reached its maximum height and celebrated with a topping-out ceremony.
Aug 24
Eight Simon malls earn sustainability certification
The Institute of Real Estate Management has awarded its sustainable property certification on eight malls owned by Simon Property Group.
Aug 23
The Atlantic: ‘The solution to high online return rates? Stores!’
What’s the big takeaway from Amazon’s apparent decision to open small department stores?
Aug 23
Chicago malls saw the biggest bounce-back in traffic
Of five major metros studied by a transportation analytics company, Chicago posted the largest return of customers to malls with an 18% increase in June 2021 versus January 2020.
Aug 23
The Knot hires four new VPs to help it deliver on pent-up wedding demand
Due to the COVID-caused cessation of marriages in the past year, business is booming at The Knot Worldwide, which has added four vice presidents to help satisfy 2021’s wedding boom.
Aug 20
InvenTrust to remake and right-size center in St. Petersburg
InvenTrust, owner of 60-plus grocery-anchored and outdoor centers, announced plans to demolish 60,000 sq. ft. of space at Gateway Market Center in St. Petersburg and right-size spaces for tenants.
Aug 18
Georgia congresswoman intros shopping center revitalization bill
A congresswoman representing a suburban Atlanta district has introduced a bill that would help communities redevelop failing malls.
Aug 18
5Qs for Esther Bukai on post-pandemic New York
With offices, shops, and restaurants now starting to fill up again in The Big Apple, we asked Esther Bukai what kind of recovery it’s making from COVID-19.
Aug 17
Decatur incubator helps move online retailers into brick-and-mortar
The city of Decatur, Ga., home to two malls and 15 blocks of renovated commercial district downtown, wants to urge successful e-commers into its brick-and-mortar marketplace.
Aug 17
Casino to replace Macy’s at mall in State College, Pa.
Just last year, mall owner CBL made a Live! Casino the new anchor of Westmoreland Mall outside Pittsburgh. Now in State College, a local investor plans to do the same at Nittany Mall.
Aug 16
Mall ban for Jersey City?
Jersey City currently has two malls. In the near future, it may be left with none.
Aug 16
Mall owner wins PETA award for helping save kids and pets from hot cars
It’s a simple but tragic mistake that some people make during the warm-weather months.
Aug 16
Survey: Retail leasing will expand, rents will stay flat
Commercial real estate investors and experts expect leasing velocity and tenant walkthroughs to increase in the retail sector, while rents will remain flat.
Aug 13
Texas outdoor center gets a post-pandemic facelift
Malls aren’t the only retail real estate properties adding greenspaces, bright colors, and outdoor seating to get shoppers to spend more time on-site.
Aug 12
Nashville Yards acquires partner to help promote entertainment tenants
Nashville Yards has brought in a partner that will be charged with promoting the entertainment district being co-developed by AEG and Southwest Value Partners.
Aug 12
Court approves mall owner’s reorganization plan
“This confirmation is a huge milestone for CBL,” said the company’s CEO Stephen Lebovitz in a mood of deliverance after having undergone a Chapter 11 filing and a financial restructuring during the pandemic.
Aug 11
2021's Top 10 Retail Experiences: No. 10 Crocker Park
Chain Store Age picks physical retail's most engaging centers
Aug 11
Ingka Centres opens 4M-sq.-ft. mixed-use center in China
Ingka Centres which has embarked on a plan to place mid-sized Ikea-anchored “meeting places” in the United States and Canada has just opened a massive mixed-use center in China.
Aug 11
Ohio’s Easton Town Center is named No. 1 Retail Center Experience in U.S.
Easton Town Center, Columbus’s 1,300-acre mixed-use development with more than 200 retail shops, has been named the No. 1 Retail Center Experience in the United States by Chain Store Age in its annual listing of the Top 10.
Aug 11
2021's Top 10 Retail Experiences: No. 9 Mellody Farm
Chain Store Age picks physical retail's most engaging centers
Aug 11
Placer.ai: Mall resurgence begins!
The crowded, enclosed environment that caused malls to be one of the major economic casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic is now making them the comeback kids of post-pandemic America.
Aug 10
Downtown shopping traffic is still 40% lower than it was in 2019
All hail the home office! All except retailers, that is.
Aug 10
Mall of America sponsors ‘Haul of America’
America’s largest mall intends to serve as a studio where back-to-school shoppers can photograph and video their new fall wardrobes and display them on social media.
Aug 10
2021's Top 10 Retail Experiences: No. 8 Avalon
Chain Store Age picks physical retail's most engaging centers
Aug 09
Brand new, 200-store mall opens outside of Jerusalem
While the numbers of malls continue to be winnowed in the United States, some corners of the world still desire some refined, indoor, comfort shopping.
Aug 06
2021's Top 10 Retail Experiences: No. 6 La Centerra At Cinco Ranch
Chain Store Age picks physical retail's most engaging centers
Aug 06
2021's Top 10 Retail Experiences: No. 7 Downtown Silver Spring
Chain Store Age picks physical retail's most engaging centers
Aug 05
2021's Top 10 Retail Experiences: No. 5 National Harbor
Chain Store Age picks physical retail's most engaging centers
Aug 04
2021's Top 10 Retail Experiences: No. 4 Tuscan Village
Chain Store Age picks physical retail's most engaging centers
Aug 03
2021's Top 10 Retail Experiences: No. 3 Galleria Dallas
Chain Store Age picks physical retail's most engaging centers
Aug 02
2021's Top 10 Retail Experiences: No. 2 American Dream
Chain Store Age picks physical retail's most engaging centers