Retail Association Releases 2019 Trends Report
“Brick-and-mortar is not going away.” That’s according to the newly-released 2019 Trends Report from the Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association. The free report from the PRSM explores five major trends affecting retail, including “The Rise of Restaurant Retail,” “There’s a New Doc-in-the-Big-Box” and “Retail Batteries – Now Included,” which discusses the ability of retailers to user chemical and refrigerated battery storage to cut energy costs. Additionally, the report shines a light on the phenomenon of e-tailers to get in on the real-world retail sales niche. “Virtually every e-commerce retailer is opening stores. To build your brand and scale, you need a physical presence,” said Steven Levin, CEO of Centennial, a Dallas-based shopping center owner. You can find a link to the report on Facility Executive’s website or click here to be taken directly to it.
Design as Important to Brick & Mortar Retailers as Sales and Marketing
A store is more than just a place where things sit on shelves until they are purchased and taken home by consumers. Three retailers and their attempts to “WOW” customers were recently profiled by Forbes.com. “It’s about creating compelling design ecosystems that are a singular expression of the brand that facilitate the customers’ experience of the brand,” said Mike Ruehlman, director of design with FRCH Design Worldwide. Forbes’ retail contributor Pamela Danziger focused on three retailers and the recent retail design elements they introduced, including American Girl, T-Mobile and Hershey’s. “Interactive elements have been provided in the Hershey’s Chocolate World store, including a Hershey’s Kitchens bakery where guest can enjoy cookies, brownies and drinks. Also, in [the Times Square] store, is a food truck/camper where guests can order s’mores.”
Real Estate Fund Contrarian Succeeds with Retail REITs
“Put your money where your mouth is,” is a phrase we’ve often heard or said. It’s one thing to talk about the retail resurgence or predict what will happen in the future, but it’s another when you’ve got money on the line. Barron’s recently profiled the portfolio practices of Rick Gable, the manager of the MFS Global Real Estate fund. He’s got nearly a quarter of the fund wrapped up in retail REITs. “Running against the herd has proved to be a profitable strategy for Gable’s $1.4 billion fund. It has beaten 90% of its peers in Morningstar’s Global Real Estate fund category in the past five years, with less volatility,” Barron’s Lewis Braham writes. He’s not just picking malls willy-nilly. He’s got to see an intelligent approach to retail. “We’re starting to see some landlords, instead of just leasing to the next retail concept, paying more attention to what’s actually going to drive traffic,” Gable said.
DMM’s Trend Demographics
Why use Trend Demographics? They’re great for clients who want to assess the size of a potential market and determine whether their products or services are reaching their most important consumers. The latest DMM Trend Demographics have been cross-referenced with the exact locations of individual U.S. shopping centers and mall locations, and then aggregated to create our exclusive, enhanced demographics data. We call them “Buffer Zones.” Our smart data “Buffer Zones” (not these “buffer zones”) reflect demographic information for 5, 10, and 20-miles around each individual U.S shopping center/mall. Click here to find out more.
DMM e-News - Issue #142
