Content about Las Vegas

Editor's Note: Chain Store Age's 24th annual survey of Fastest-Growing Acquirers measured retail square footage purchased during the 2012 calendar year.

This year's Fastest-Growing Acquirers range from list regulars to newcomers, a clear sign that retail is returning as a favored sector for growth.

A recovering economy continues to make retail an appealing category for operators and investors alike and, as might be expected, this year's fraternity contains some of the industry's major consolidators. Yet it also holds investment funds branching into new sectors.

Polaroid Fotobar, a new retail concept from Polaroid, has opened its first location, in Delray Beach, Fla. The 2,000-sq.-ft. store is designed to allow consumers to take the images from their smartphones and tablet devices and easily turn them into “museum-quality” art that can be framed and hung on a wall or displayed on a desk. 

Polaroid Fotobar has a modern, streamlined look, with sleek lines. The Delray Beach location will serve as a prototype for nine additional cites due to open this year, including locations in New York, Las Vegas, and Boston.

Salt Lake City -- The world’s highest-resolution LED screen is on display in Las Vegas. The enormous screen, approximately 310 ft. wide by 60 ft. tall and populated with close to 11 million pixels, is the feature attraction of the Harmon Corner Retail Center, on the northeast corner of the Las Vegas Boulevard. The three-level center is anchored by Walgreens.

Oak Brook, Ill. -- Inland Diversified Real Estate Trust announced Monday the acquisition of a majority interest in a portfolio of six grocery/home-improvement-anchored retail properties located in Las Vegas.

The properties were acquired in a joint venture between a subsidiary of Inland Diversified and affiliates of the seller Territory Inc.; the joint venture valued the portfolio at about $296 million.

Dallas -- The Howard Hughes Corp. and Dillard’s announced that the department store is the latest anchor to be part of The Shops at Summerlin, in West Las Vegas Valley. Dillard’s will build a two-level, 200,000-sq.-ft. foot in the center, with opening scheduled for fall 2014.

Las Vegas -- Denny has opened a  flagship diner, called "Denny's on Fremont," on Freemont Street in downtown Las Vegas. Among other attractions, the one-of-a-kind diner: boasts an in-house wedding chapel.

Cincinnati -- Macy's is enhancing its presence in the Las Vegas market. The department store retailer has signed on as the first anchor tenant at the Shops at Summerlin, in west Las Vegas.  

Macy’s will build a two-level, 180,000-sq.-ft. store in the open- air center, which is being developed by The Howard Hughes Corp. The new Macy’s is expected to open in fall 2014, with construction beginning in fall 2013.

The 1.5 million sq.-ft. Summerlin will feature over 125 stores and restaurants.

I’m just back from the retail real estate industry’s annual confab, the International Council of Shopping Centers’ RECon, in Las Vegas. As part of the event, Faith Hope Consolo, chairman, Prudential Douglas Elliman, hosted a panel discussion of retailers at the Women’s Special Industry Group meeting. Here are some of the more notable quotes from the discussion:

- Brenda Godfrey, VP global store development, Starbucks Coffee Co.

Las Vegas -- Crystals at CityCenter, a 500,000-sq.-ft. retail and entertainment center in Las Vegas, was honored with the International Council of Shopping Centers' (ICSC) VIVA Best--of-the-Best Award in the category of sustainability. The award was announced on May 20, during the ICSC's annual global retail real estate convention, RECon, in Las Vegas.
 
Crystals, which is LEED Gold certified, is the largest retail destination to achieve the Gold level.
  

Las Vegas -- On Monday morning, RECon 2012, the International Council of Shopping Centers’ annual retail real estate convention in Las Vegas, kicks off with an expected 31,000+ attendees from around the globe.

Running through Wednesday, May 23, RECon will encompass three halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center – or over 1 million sq. ft. – with more than 1,000 companies exhibiting and highlights such as The Cities of the World Pavilion and a keynote presentation by Leslie H. Wexner, founder of Limited Brands.
 

This might not come as a huge surprise, but “irrational exuberance” is unlikely to be on prominent display. What have, in the past, been lavish spending habits of RECon attendees have been diminished in recent years, and I think the 2012 event will be no exception.

As part of Chain Store Age’s lead-up coverage to RECon 2012, to be held May 20-23 in Las Vegas, we talked with Jones Lang LaSalle’s Lew Kornberg about what his expectations are for the big real estate show. Visit JLL’s booth at RECon, Central Hall, C1001.

What are your expectations for RECon 2012 in terms of activity, attitude, priorities?