As some big-box chain retailers struggle during the age of showrooming, retail landlords and managers look to entertainment and restaurant tenants to fill vacant spaces. According to the National Real Estate Investor, the logic behind this is that while traditional retailers may be taken out by websites like Amazon, movie theaters and restaurants are more immune to online competition because much of what they offer is experience-based.

In regard to the future of power centers, for example, R.J. Hottovy, a retail analyst with Chicago-based research firm Morningstar, notes that “there will be a lot more non-traditional tenants—restaurants, lifestyle brands, entertainment concepts. [Tenants] that don’t necessarily have pressure from online retailers: you are looking for somebody who has that natural protection.”

The ICSC Global Retail Real Estate Convention (RECon) event is right around the corner! From May 19-22, 2013, retail real estate professionals from all over the world gather together for a few days of networking, deal making, and educational opportunities. There are going to be over 30,000 attendees, and 1,000 exhibitors, making it the largest industry convention. Whether you want to attend educational sessions, find your next deal, meet retailers to discuss new or old leases, demo the latest industry products, or meet industry professionals from all sides of the business, RECon is the place to be. This convention is a must attend industry event for shopping center executives, brokers, landlords, retailers, financial companies, and economic development professionals.

RECon allows professionals to meet and network with more people in FOUR days than would be possible in an entire year!

Eastern Consolidated Tapped to Market Two Separate Properties:

121 Greene Street and 349 West Broadway

High-End Retailers Warby Parker and Proenza Schouler

Just Signed Long-term Leases on Greene Street; West Broadway is Vacant

New York, NY – May 10, 2013 – A rare opportunity to acquire two exceptionally well-located retail assets in the heart SoHo—arguably Manhattan’s most sought-after shopping mecca–has come to market through Eastern Consolidated, now promoting the sale of 121 Greene Street, an occupied 4,000-square-foot retail condominium; and 349 West Broadway, a vacant 1,800-square-foot retail cooperative.

Eastern Consolidated’s David Schechtman, executive managing director, Lipa Lieberman, senior director and Gary Meese, director, financial services are acting on behalf of the seller, locally-based owner/operator Yassky, in the forthcoming sale of the approximate 6,000-square-foot retail portfolio priced at $35 million.

Consumer spending experienced a resurgence in March, and restaurant chains benefited greatly, according to a retail-traffic study from Placed Insights. As a category, restaurants did well, making up nine of the 20 most-visited businesses in the country, but McDonald’s beat out competition to land the number one spot.

The report claims that 49% of consumers visited the fast food giant during the month. Not far behind was Walmart, which saw 38.8% of consumers visiting one of its locations. Other top businesses included Subway, Burger King, Starbucks, Wendy’s, Walgreens, CVS, Taco Bell, and Target.

Restaurants dominated not only in terms of total foot traffic, but also because they were among the fastest-growing business categories in terms of improved visits that month compared to January 2013.

As the population increases each and every day, retailers are pursuing this market, which has more disposable income.

Needless to say, the Internet retailer Amazon is interested in this market and has launched its 50 + Active and Healthy Living Store, which features hundreds of nutrition, wellness, exercise and fitness, medical, personal care, beauty, entertainment items and more, all in a single destination for customers in the 50 + age range.

Visitors to Amazon’s new 50 + Active and Healthy Living Store will find a selection of items in the following categories:

Claire’s, the teen accessories and jewelry retailers, recently filed for an IPO of up to $100 million. As of February 2, Claire’s operated 3,477 stores with both the Claire’s and Icing names. They have 2,700 locations in North America, Europe, and China, plus another 400 franchised stores, and another 380 Icing stores.

Over the last four years, the company has opened 443 new stores, and its net sales have increased to $1.56 billion from $1.34 billion. That said, Claire’s is loaded with buyout debt.

In 2007, when Apollo Management L.P. bought Claire’s for $31 billion, Claire’s was debt-free. The deal saddled Claire’s with $2.4 billion of long-term debt, as the economy crashed. Accordingly, the IPO the company filed for will be used to pay off debt. It is not known yet how many shares the company planned to sell.

Claire’s, however, has managed to rebound, adding stores around the country and building up its revenue. The accessories chain will still consider brand expansion into places like Brazil, Russia, and Australia.

This year, Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A expects to create 6,200 new jobs by opening 102 new locations across the country.

In April, the fast food giant opened its latest nontraditional unit in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International airport. Located at gate 21 on Concourse C, it is being operated by HMSHost, the first airport licensee partner for the company. It is the chain’s fifth airport partnership with HMSHost, including airports in Birmingham, Ala., Cincinnati, Minneapolis, and Orlando.

“We are thrilled to once again partner with HMSHost to bring Chick-fil-A to the passengers and staff at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport,” said Dan T. Cathy, the company’s president and COO. “We know our freshly prepared food and excellent service on both sides of the counter have been missed by millions of travelers from all over the country who pass through the airport.”

Shake Shack is finally taking strides towards opening a new location by Grand Central, after two years of lawsuits, bankruptcy, and an eviction notice for the previous tenant. Zocalo, a Mexican eatery, vacated its space on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal at the end of April for the infamous burger, fries, and shakes retailers, Shake Shack, to open up. It is expected to open later this year.

“It’s very exciting to think we’ll have a Shake Shack housed within such an iconic New York City landmark,” said a spokesman for Shake Shack. They officially took the space on May 1, over two years after news was released of their pending arrival. “We are pleased to be able to move forward at last with out ongoing effort to re-bid the retail spaces in Grand Central. Doing so in a regularized, periodic way ensures that the public receives the maximum benefit for this valuable retail space,” explained a Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman.

After representatives for developer Douglas Steiner filed permits to demolish Mary Help of Christians, a listing on Ripco Real Estate leads us to believe that the residential tower will also contain retail space. However, plans are still awaiting approval, and rent prices were not included for the property in the listing.

The church, school, and rectory located at 181 Avenue A between East 11th and East 12th streets will be rebuilt as a residential space with 140 units, and the ground floor includes 11,356 square feet, and the possible basement space is 11,508 square feet. According to the listing, the frontage is 150 feet on Avenue A and 70 feet on 11th Street.

Waterbridge Capital LLC, a company grounded by British real estate investor Joel Schreiber, recently closed a large deal covering basically an entire block in the heart of Williamsburg with big plans for retail expansion. Waterbridge paid $30 million in order to gain control of the block between Bedford and Driggs Avenues, and North 3rd and North 4th Streets. About a year ago, the company closed on the western half of the block, and this recent deal covers the rest of the block.

Waterbridge has been in talks to bring high-end retail tenants to the area, which currently houses a Foodtown grocery store, and a laundromat. This deal can be seen in conjunction with the move towards pricier retail tenants in Williamsburg. The area is booming with new, upscale retailers, and becoming a trendy retail destination. Additionally, another investment group announced plans to build a Whole Foods store on Bedford Avenue.

“The property’s average in-place rent on Bedford is $54 per square foot, however market rents along Bedford are three to four times that amount, demonstrating the significant upside potential of this asset. With 175 feet on Bedford, we have the ability to offer tenants anywhere from 1,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet. This parcel is the only one available along Bedford that offers both big box retailers and local businesses retail space of this scale,” explained David Kessler, the Director of Acquisitions of Waterbridge Capital.

Yes, yes, June is the traditional month for weddings and writing about them, but why be traditional if you don’t have to? And seriously, if you’re planning to be married in June 2014, make sure your dress is done in May (one less thing to worry about, trust me). Try some of these extraordinary couturiers for your once — (we hope) — in-a-lifetime dress:

Reem Acra — 730 Fifth Avenue
Dress like royalty and major fashion figures with one of Acra’s ethereal yet contemporary creations. The fabrics and colors are to die for!

Amsale — 625 Madison Ave.
Amsale Aberra’s home-like salon is the perfect environment to select from the group’s three lines (its namesake, Christos and Kenneth Pool), that are impeccably tailored, made with extraordinary textiles.

Bergdorf Goodman — 754 Fifth Ave
Women of style buy everything else here — why not their wedding gown? The salon offers designers including some mentioned below, as well as J. Mendel, Jenny Packham, Ulla Majia and more.

The Metropolitan region is the home of the world’s finest hospitals and healthcare centers. These institutions have been leaders in the innovation and latest developments in this industry. Medical Research Centers, State of the Art healthcare facilities, day surgery centers, Proton Beam are just a few of the advances of these centers of excellence.

Perhaps in the near term, one or more of the healthcare systems in the metropolitan region will decide to open a healthy goods grocery store. Can you imagine, a grocery store to compete with Whole Food and Fairway market, following the lead this year of a Kansas City, Missouri medical center that is opening a grocery store with a local partner.

Truman Medical Centers, (TMC) a two hospital system based in Kansas City is set to embark on an innovative community project to offer health food options. The Medical center and the Hospital Hill Economic Development Corporation, a local organization focused on urban economic development, completed a transfer of land from the City of Kansas City where they will build the $11.5 million, 35,000 square foot grocery store.

As e-commerce continually grows, what happens to brick-and-mortar stores? Credit Suisse analyst Michael Exstein believes that the online shopping world won’t kill the physical one, but that flagships will revert to being impressive, downtown stores.

During the second half of the last century, Americans flocked to the suburbs and strip malls sprung up around them in order to accommodate the new, outside-the-city lifestyle. Accordingly, high-profile downtown storefronts were often displaced. Now, the trend seems to be reversing, evidenced by stores like Macy’s, which is spending $400 million on a facelift for its flagship in Herald Square, slated to be complete in 2015.

Exstein discussed how during a time when the Internet takes an increasing share of basic shopping but also helps brands boost their reach and appeal, the big-city store could become more of an attraction itself.

“In an age where e-commerce is emerging from its infancy to a more established and integrated part of the retailing system, it seems that flagships serve two purposes. These include retailers’ affirming brand stakeholders in addition to a hedge against how the retailing structure could evolve in the next decade. The result could be fewer locations, less inventory, but more powerful locations in their own right,” said Exstein.

Online powerhouse eBay is moving more into the world of offline commerce, beginning with mobile technology. CEO John Donahoe spoke at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference this week to discuss his plans. The company is looking to partner with a retailer to open up a pop-up shop that will have a huge touchscreen store window. This is expected to happen this summer in New York, and is part of a larger image that Donahoe has for eBay, of moving into the world of offline commerce, where the majority of retailers still spend their money.

“Technology is blurring the lines between online and offline commerce and a ‘new retail’ environment is emerging. One example of how eBay is partnering with retailers to provide innovative technology solutions is the work we continue to do with the Kate Spade brands and we are excited to be partnering with them on the launch of Kate Spade Saturday in New York,” said Donahoe.

It has been confirmed that eBay will partner with Kate Spade’s new line and pop-up shop called Kate Spade Saturday, which will sell lower priced clothes, bags, and accessories. eBay is looking to build on the momentum of consumer interest in mobile by implementing this life-size touchscreen to complement its main source of revenue, the online marketplace. The company wants to ensure that it will remain relevant as consumers become addicted to new technologies, and continue to live in a world of offline commerce.

Earlier this week, The Jones Group announced a series of actions that will be taken in the hopes of improving profitability. The fashion company, which owns Jones New York, Nine West, and Anne Klein, will close approximately 170 stores and cut 8% of its workforce. After the cuts were announced, shares of the company rose 2.7& to $13.97 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Earlier this year, activist hedge fund Barington Capital Group met with Jones Group management and suggested the company cut expenses and focus on its most successful brands, while possibly selling other brands. Last year, sales during the holiday season fell about seven percent, indicating just how much the company is struggling to face aggressive competition.

The retailer hopes that by mid-2014, these actions will generate approximately $40 million in annual pretax savings. In a statement, the company said that the plan will result in costs of $40 million to $60 million in the next 15 months. The restructuring is already underway, with 50 stores announced in Q4 of 2012. Domestic retail staff will be reduced by approximately 18%, and corporate, support, and supply chain staff by 2%, which will take the total reduction to 8%—about 850 jobs—upon completion. The staff reductions and terminations notifications began April 1, and will continue through the first half of 2014.

The Bronx has been making significant strides in the retail market. While the Bronx was previously shadowed by Manhattan and the other boroughs as far as retail goes, residents and businesses are working to change that. Equity One Inc. is a real estate investment trust, and they own 144 retail centers. They started work and construction on a multilevel, 135,000 square foot shopping center in the Kingsbridge area, expected to open in the fall of 2014.

Another development is going on in the neighborhood, just eight blocks north. Metropolitan Realty Associates and Angelo Gordon & Co. are building a shopping center, including 162,000 square feet, called Riverdale Crossing shopping center.

“We think these two projects are going to really bookend the Kingsbridge district, and there will be a lot going on down there,” said John DeSio, a spokesman for Bronx borough president Ruben Diaz Jr.

In 2012, Equity One received permission from the city to purchase and build on the 80,000 square foot lot on 230th Street and Broadway. They predict that construction here for a shopping center will cost about $50 million. They are using their own capital to finance the project. This is a reflection of their confidence in the neighborhood to succeed and have a strong future. The face of retail in the Bronx is really changing. Where it used to consist predominantly of small retailers located mostly at the base of apartment or office buildings, lately it has been really emerging into larger projects with nationally known stores. “The Bronx now is being repositioned for a much more dynamic retail environment. It’s not just local shops. It’s now national and international retail,” explained Faith Hope Consolo of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

Safeway shares dropped substantially Thursday morning as the company reported $10 billion in sales for Q1 in 2013 ended March 23. That figure is essentially flat compared to the same period in 2012. Analysts had expected comparable sales upward of 2%, which would have made quarterly sales higher than $10.2 billion.

Upon seeing the figures, Wall Street reacted swiftly, and Safeway shares were selling down more than 17% to $23.40. Despite the drop, the company’s stock is still up more than 10% over the past year.

Safeway’s same-store sales were impacted positively by 40 basis points on account of a fiscal calendar shift, and were impacted negatively by 90 basis points because of a shift to generic drugs, according to Safeway Chairman and CEO Steve Burd.

Safeway’s guidance for 2013 remains unchanged at $2.25 to $2.45 earnings per diluted share, but that does not include any sales bumps out of the company’s wellness program, which should launch in the next three months.

Spring has arrived and more and more people are traveling to their favorite golf club to participate in a sport which I have never been able to excel. While, yours truly does not enjoy the victory of sinking a putt, thousands of individuals from the metropolitan area are searching for new venues to practice their skills.

In order to gain expertise in this sport, I have been advised that one must secure clubs, shoes, apparel and other accessories to master this game. While Manhattan does not have actual club on the island, a number of new golf retailers are scheduled to open new venues in Midtown.

Golfsmith is the nation’s largest specialty golf retailer with more than 85 stores has a total of 11 retail shops in the metropolitan region. Construction is currently underway for its Fifth Avenue location at 420 Fifth Avenue, on a portion of the ground floor and the entire second floor of retail space which previously served as the home of Comp USA.

Simon Property Group has started its development of Fairfield Town Center in the Houston area. The 550,000-square-foot complex is slated for completion in late 2014 or early 2015.

Edge Realty Partners will manage the development, and says that the completed center will consist of over a dozen pad sites, several retail and dining options, and a 12-acre multi-family housing development.

Specifics about future tenants have not been released yet, but Simon Property Group has spoken with several restaurants, both sit down and fast food, as well as retailers and at least two banking concepts to open branches in the development by summer 2013.

Plans for the center were presented as early as 2007, but a struggling economy and lack of tenant demand caused delays in the project. Luckily, with the economy gradually improving, demand from both local and national retailers is on the rise.

Vornado recently completed a $203 million retail sale for the Plant, a power strip shopping center in San Jose, California. The buyer has been reported as part of a division of Cole Real Estate Investments, and it was initially estimated that the deal would cost $205 million.

Vornado also recently purchased a retail property in Philadelphia for $60 million as part of The Gallery at Market East. Vornado came out with net proceeds from these 2 deals of about $156 million.

The Plant retail development is located on Curtner Avenue and Monterey Road, consists of 650,000 square feet, and occupies a 55-acre site that used to be a General Electric plant. Big retailers at the Plant include Target, The Home Depot, Best Buy, Ross, and many others!

The San Jose area has been receiving huge interest as investors look into a lot of different development opportunities in the area.