Directory of Major Malls
Directory of Major Malls

Sprinkles Anyone?…Mixed Gift Bag… Travel Time is Awesome!… details in the latest DMM e-news…

How's Your Food Service? Money Pours into Start-up Restaurants

There are many different reasons why customers prefer one mall over another – sometimes it's the parking or the cleanliness, sometimes it's the mix of stores or a movie theater. For others it can be the choice of meals available. For investors, the latter has been a buffet of upstart restaurants that dot malls' food landscapes. According to a recent article from Nation’s Restaurant News, private equity groups and venture capital firms are “pump[ing] money into young concepts seeking the next big thing.” They're busy searching for the new concept that will excite customers, and malls of course are eager to keep traffic flowing and have the next “go-to” eatery in their midst. NRN's article suggests, “Most of the concepts receiving money are fast-casual chains” that focus on specific but unique menus, such as waffle sandwiches, Italian burrito-like wraps, and Middle Eastern delicacies. Let us know what your favorite food concept is by Tweeting us.

Analyst: Holiday Sales – A Mixed Gift Bag of Predictions

An analyst with Cushman & Wakefield (formerly DTZ / Cassidy Turley) recently blogged that he was in San Francisco for the Urban Land Institute's Fall Meeting last month, and came away with a mixed bag of predictions about the sales forecast for the 2015 holiday season. In his blog post, Research VP, Garrick Brown, cited a survey by ChannelAdvisor that reported “Four out of five retailers believe that the 2015 holiday shopping season will be better than 2014” while “the NRF is predicting sales growth of 3.7% this year… down from 4.1% last year.” It'll be interesting to see how that plays out, but still, the competing opinions makes your humble email newsletter editor wonder what that fifth retailer was thinking – maybe there was a situation similar to that 5th dentist who was asked about gum chewing?

Is Topeka 2065 a microcosm of the rest of the country?

So, Back to the Future day (October 21, 2015) came and went and we still don't have self-tying shoes, flying cars or hoverboards (you can go back in time and check out last month's newsletter from that very date in case you missed it – time travel is awesome). In 1965, according to a recent (allegedly) article in the Topeka Capital-Journal, the city of Topeka tried to envision what life would be like in the second millennium. Now they're trying lightning in a DeLorean again, trying to figure out what life (they discuss shopping preferences, housing, political and social trends, and more) will be like 50 years from now. Among the predictions: businesses will either become smaller or grow with the help of franchising and mergers; “new developments on the edge of Topeka would be essentially new towns;” and perhaps in a prediction that bodes well for the lifestyle centers that are all the rage these days, “Many people will work from home, so opportunities for social interaction will be of greater importance.”.

DMM: DMM at ICSC'S Deal Making Show 2015

Make sure to stop by the DMM booth (#1318) during ICSC's 2015 NY National Conference & Deal Making Show, December 7-8, 2015 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, NYC. At the show, we'll be introducing our new Retail Boundaries product, which is based upon mobile device data. You can also learn all about how DMM and ShoppingCenters.com have grown to become the industry's most comprehensive and accurate source for major shopping center and retail data. Our reliable reference tools can assist you in identifying opportunities and making decisions for your business! This event is a great opportunity for owners, developers, retailers, brokers, lenders, municipalities, property asset managers and product and service providers to gather under one roof to exhibit, make deals and form successful business partnerships.


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