Content about New York

New York -- Brixmor Property Group has appointed Michael V. Pappagallo as president and CFO, effective May 20.

Pappagallo will play an integral role in the execution of Brixmor's long-term business and capital markets strategy.  In addition, he will lead the company's finance and accounting teams, as well as have functional oversight of its property operations, information technology, acquisitions/dispositions and investor relations efforts.

New York – Wegmans is pushing back the scheduled opening of a new store in Newton, Mass., until spring 2014. The grocery retailer is citing construction delays and demands of other projects, such as the upcoming grand opening of a replacement store in Rochester, N.Y., this Sunday, for causing the later opening of the new suburban Boston location.

Wegmans currently operates one store in Massachusetts, a 138,000-sq.-ft. facility in the town of Northborough.

Englewood Cliffs, N.J. -- In what it called a “first-of-its-kind” installation at a drugstore chain, Nexxus Salon Hair Care unveiled a window display tribute to the Tony Awards and Broadway at the Duane Reade store across from Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan. The installation was created by Simon Doonan, creative ambassador for Barneys New York, who is best known for his whimsical, and sometimes outrageous, window displays.

Dallas -- SRS Real Estate Partners said it has appointed Bob Taylor as senior VP in the New York office.

This is Taylor’s second stint with SRS.  In his first, he directed Hard Rock Café’s national expansion and relocation efforts. Taylor will be focused on tenant and landlord representation for the New York team, and returns to SRS from Cassidy Turley, The Staubach Co., and Staubach Retail.

New York -- British retailer Marks & Spencer takes a giant leap forward in its goal of becoming a multichannel leader with the opening of its innovative new concept store in Amsterdam. The centerpiece of the 5,000-sq.-ft. space — which marks M&S’ return to the Netherlands after a 10-year absence — is an “E-Boutique” dedicated to womenswear. The shop features what the retailer calls “the world’s first virtual rail,” a display that seamlessly integrates digital rails with physical rails of clothing samples.

New York -- TJX Cos., Gap Inc., The Buckle and Zumiez all reported better-than-expected same-store sales for April, even as concerns about the job market bit into other retailers’ results.
   

New York -- Checkout remains the number one in-store pain point for 73% of U.S. consumers, according to a survey by Synqera, a global technology startup that uses big data to bring personalized digital experiences to the physical retail store.    

The survey found that more than two-thirds of Americans prefer to shop in traditional, brick and mortar stores than online commerce sites, and that shoppers gravitate towards retail locations that offer customized shopping experiences but that

New York -- Foot Locker Inc. said Wednesday that it will buy German athletic store chain Runners Point Warenhandelsges (RPG) for 72 million euros ($94 million) as it expands in Europe.  
 
RPG, which had sales of $254 million for 2012, operates more than 200 stores — with its most prominent banners being Runners Point and Sidestep — as well as an online subsidiary, Tredex. Most its stores are in Germany, although there are also Runners Point and Sidestep locations in The Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland.

In New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Denver — and other major cities across the country — creative young chefs are opening their own restaurants.

"In New York, the trend isn't all that new. Think of Andre Soltner, Jean-Georges, David Chang and others," said Faith Hope Consolo, noted trend-watcher and chairman of Douglas Elliman's Retail Group in New York City.

Indeed, we probably shouldn't call it a trend any more. In a growing number of cities, chef-owned restaurants are a mainstay of rising urban neighborhoods.

Real estate solution-providers equip retailers to make strategic decisions

Any economic recovery begs a number of questions for a retailer: When can I grow again? Where should I go? What does my customer want and need now? How big can my stores — and my business — be? Even though we are on the other side of the deepest recession in decades, it is still critical that retailers correctly answer these questions. We're long past the days when a chain could rely on gut instinct about a store location.

Billed as the largest LEED Gold-certified retail commercial building in the world, Destiny USA is more than an environmental leader. It is a shopping and entertainment mecca.

The 2.4 million-sq.-ft. tourist destination in Syracuse, N.Y., is an unexpected blend of luxury outlet tenants with restaurants and big entertainment names in a high-impact setting that includes a sweeping, three-story atrium, a replica of an upside-down city destroyed, and a suspended-rope adventure for the kids.

Now, as the recession finally begins to lift, brick-and-mortar retailers are studying their real estate concepts and pondering what comes next.

Some will pare store counts, partially in response to online competition. Some will cut store square footage. Others are expanding store numbers and square footage. Some are expanding fulfillment center square footage. Some are not changing. Careful about that.

What are you doing? Is it what you should be doing?

What are retail real estate advisers and technology providers recommending?