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Observations & Conversations
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Observations & Conversations It appears that the Florida economy is healthy, however in chit chats with locals I heard a different story. The ICSC Florida Dealmaking event was definitely a good show. This event has a “retailer meet & greet” the day before the actual Dealmaking; it’s a great idea that would be an excellent addition to more of the shows. We had a number of retailers stop by our booth and three of them were chains that are new to me. Also, quite a few banks came to the show. I also attended the Ladies in the Biz event, sponsored by Equity One, Kimco, Woolbright, The Paradise Group and Azor Advisory. My guesstimate is that more than 200 women attended, so if you’re of the female gender next year add this to your must attend events at the Florida Dealmaking. It appears that the Florida economy is healthy, however in chit chats with locals I heard a different story. One person explained that his property insurance with $500,000 in coverage for his primary residence had increased to an annual premium of $9,000 and I was told by several people how their utility costs have doubled and tripled since last year. Add that to the high cost of gasoline and it starts to hurt disposable spending. The cab drivers were lamenting that tourist counts were down, (I can’t substantiate this) due to people being afraid to fly and the fear of being in large crowds. I also bumped into a few transplants at the show from Michigan that had relocated to Florida because the Michigan economy is hurting.
On to more optimistic topics... a few new retailers that I’ve come across in the past few weeks are Razmataz, a five-unit chain based in Scottsdale, AZ which plans to open its next location in the Tucson market during 2007. It’s most recent opening is an 18,000 sq.ft. store at the San Tan Village in Gilbert, AZ. The company specializes in Old World Mexican, Tuscan and Spanish influenced home decor and furnishings, with price points from 29 cents for chachkas to $3,000 for a bronze bath tub. Another growing concept is Hot Mamma, a maternity store chain specializing in contemporary clothing and accessories, similar to that found at Nordstrom and Anthropologie, with stores operating in Edina and Maple Grove, MN. The company plans to open more stores this fall in St. Paul, MN and Glenview, IL. Long term plans call for the opening of six additional locations. The stores have a lounge-like area in the center of the sales floor with toys, games and iMac computers for children to play with while mom shops. Santa Natura, a Peruvian-based company recently opened shop in Tyler, TX. The health-food chain sells organically-grown extracts from the rain forest, clothing and gift items. It operates two other stores in the U.S. with locations in Miami and Los Angeles. A food concept that’s about to hit a growth spurt is Peach’s Rise & Dine Restaurants, a breakfast-lunch concept with 10 locations operating in FL. The company just signed off for 50 franchised openings in OH, while growth will continue in FL with a focus on Orlando. Future expansion is also expected in MI and the Denver, CO market.
I’m seeing a lot more manufacturers entering the vertical retail arena. Pioneer, the electronics manufacturer, recently opened its first retail store at South Coast Plaza in Newport Beach, CA; C.C. Filson, a Seattle-based outdoor sports retailer/manufacturer/cataloger of hard and soft goods for hunting and fishing, recently opened its second store with 2,600 sq.ft. at Cherry Creek North in Denver, CO. The company expects to open 15 stores nationwide within the next five years and has been in business since 1897. Perry Ellis International, a men’s and women’s sportswear manufacturer, recently opened its fourth unit for a new concept called Original Penguin at Northpark Center in Dallas. The other three stores are located in New York City, South Beach, FL and Newport Beach, CA. Plans are to open its next store in Melrose, CA.
Another interesting retailer is Road Apparel, a menswear chain specializing in its private label “neo classic” lines for men in the 30 to 50 age bracket. Its newest stores are opening this fall at locations in Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Louis and Kansas City. The company plans further expansion next year. Its existing stores are located at the US Bank Center/City Center in Seattle and at Bellevue Square Mall in Bellevue, WA. The chain’s debut was in October 2005, while the company’s management team has deep roots in the sportswear industry and in the retail arena with its Zebraclub boutiques, a five-unit chain carrying hip eclectic merchandise mix, with locations in WA and Vancouver. The movers and shakers behind Road Apparel and Zebraclub have more ventures in the works with the launch of Cepia Dermotique, a unique skin-care concept with a location in Seattle. The concept offers its exclusive SkinPod, an enclosure that the customer steps into and selects one of nine body elixirs or bronzers on a touch screen panel, and then an ultra-fine mist covers the skin in less than five seconds. After the application is completed, the customer is ready to dress and go. A sleek, elegant lounge is also part of the setting for special events and lingering. Guests who have completed their body elixirs are encouraged to sit back and soak up the atmosphere, peruse a hip assortment of magazines, and enjoy one of six refreshing herbal elixir tonics. Its second unit is slated to open at Kirkland Parkplace, a project anchored by 24 Hour Fitness in Kirkland, WA. This issue Of The Dealmakers features another up and coming concept, Sneaker Villa. The company is growing throughout Pennsylvania with a focus on inner-city locations. Be sure to check out this feature.
Also, more exciting news from The Dealmakers is our recent launch of Email Blasts. You can get the details from Alyson at our office (she can be reached at 609-587-6200 or alyson@dealmakers.net ), but the broad brush stroke description is that we’ll email an advertisement on your site or expansion needs to 47,000 real estate executives. It’s an inexpensive and effective marketing tool, so give us a call or drop an email and we’ll get you the full lowdown on how it works. We’re also revamping TenantSearch, our directory of 7,000 expanding retailers, so keep an eye out for the launch of the new and improved version in the next few months. We’re also tweaking The Dealmakers presentation a bit, so if you have suggestions on what we can do better or add to our services, just drop me a line at ann@dealmakers.net . I would be interested in hearing your comments. While this issue is on press, we’ll be at the ICSC Midwest Dealmaking in Chicago, so next month I’ll let you know how that show went, as well as how well the ICSC Pennsylvania/New Jersey/Delaware Dealmaking in Philadelphia was attended. If you’re in Chicago or Philly drop by our booth. We’re gearing up for the Palm Springs and San Antonio shows too. So, if you have some projects in the Western states or Texas that our editors should know about, give us a call. Until next month,
Ann O’Neal, Publisher |