DMM Retail Industry e-News Issue #215

If You Could Visit Any Cartoon World Setting, It Might Be…

…Moe’s Tavern, where residents of Springfield drink their animated Duff Beer? A pop-up replica of Homer’s favorite watering hole, not affiliated with the actual production company behind The Simpsons, showed up in, where else, Springfield Mall in Springfield, Pennsylvania, along with crowds of fans of the long-running FOX show. The pop-up was there for about two weeks last month, and was indeed a crowd-pleaser, giving the impression you were actually inside sitting next to Barney, Lenny and Karl. “My dad [Sheldon, who died in December] and I watched ‘The Simpsons’ on TV since I was in diapers. It was ‘our’ show, one that we’d always laugh at and watch together, so I’m having a sentimental experience here. He would have loved coming to Moe’s. I’m here in his honor!” Shelly Rollins told The Delaware County Daily Times. The pop-up also served food, including Marge’s Spicy Fried Tenders, and a Drunkin’ D’Ohnuts Shake.

Macy’s Sues Over Amazon Billboard in Herald Square NYC

Macy’s is looking to beat Amazon in more than just retail dollars and consumers. The retail biggies are battling it out in court over another real-life spectacle: the advertising right next door to Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street in Herald Square, New York City. According to CNN, Macy’s claims it has rights to the ad space forever, but the owner of the space may be selling it to the Jeff Bezos Online Marketplace. Chris Isidore of CNN Business notes Macy’s has advertised there continuously since 1963, and their agreement, “included a clause that the billboard’s owners ‘shall be limited forever’ from selling space on it to any other ‘establishment selling at retail or directly to any consumer.'”

Investment Fund Prefers In-Store Retail to E-Commerce

While e-commerce is thought to become a dominant place for retail sales in 20 or so years, there is growing confidence in in-store retail. The Putnam Focused Large Cap Growth ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is an actively managed, non-diversified fund that focuses on large, growth-oriented U.S. companies that profit in the midst of recovery and a growing economy. According to a recent post on ETFtrends.com, increased in-person shopping comes as rent is increasingly cheaper from pandemic closures, and because of the pandemic, customers are more willing to shop in smaller venues. “Most companies, including many online ones, have plans or are in development to open brick and mortar stores in what are being dubbed as ‘power centers’ of stores that are tethered by an existing big-box retailer. The benefits to in-person shopping include a more personalized experience, and companies are able to gather more in-depth information and data, such as demographics, feedback on products, and what is trending for that particular area,” noted Karrie Gordon, ETF Trends.