The Mall Is Dead
Apr 1, 2005, David Bodamer
In March, the retail real estate business faced a new reality: The proposed $17 billion (including debt) Federated/May merger, following the $11.6 billion...
Suffering from Exposure
Apr 1, 2005
Federated won't speculate on how many stores might close, but analysts put the figure at somewhere between 50 and 200. Overall, 98 regional malls owned...
The Mall is Dead, Long Live the Mall
Mar 3, 2005
This week the retail real estate business faces a new reality: The proposed $17 billion (including debt) Federated/May merger, following the $11.6 billion deal to combine Kmart and Sears, makes it clear that 40 years of conventional wisdom is under revision. This, of course, isn't the first inkling -- the changes in retailing that have made department stores so vulnerable have been obvious for at least a decade. But it is still a stunning moment. ...
Polishing a Penney
Mar 1, 2005, By Marc Hequet
UNHAPPY TOY STORY
Mar 1, 2005, Patricia L. Kirk
Never has a room full of toys seemed so sad. There they were, on display at The Toy Industry Association's annual American International Toy Fair in New...
Retail Landscape Shifts Again With Federated/May Merger
Feb 28, 2005
After a long and rocky courtship, Federated Department Stores got its bride to say "yes." The $17 billion merger between Federated and May Department Stores was officially announced today, with Federated CEO and chairman Terry Lundgren admitting he had been "waiting for this day for two years."...
Sears New Format Is Essential To Kmart Absorption
Feb 10, 2005
After months of speculation about following November's $11 billion Kmart/Sears merger, Sears on Monday launched a new format called Sears Essential, which it says will combine the best of both stores. ...
Flicks Fights
Feb 1, 2005, David Bodamer
Less than two weeks after video rental leader Blockbuster Inc. launched a hostile takeover bid for Hollywood Entertainment Corp., Hollywood surprisingly...
Grocers Shrinking
Feb 1, 2005, Patricia Kirk
Growing segmentation in the grocery industry brought the average size of new stores in 2004 under 40,000 square feet for the first time in a decade, reports...
MERGERS MAY MAUL MALLS
Feb 1, 2005, David Bodamer
It didn't take long for the pending, $11.8 billion Kmart/Sears merger to spawn a sequel. As the numbers rolled in from the lackluster holiday shopping...
Taking Aim at WAL-MART
Feb 1, 2005, BY CURT HAZLETT
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Fortune's most admired U.S. corporation for the past two years, is quickly becoming the most reviled. From contractors locking cleaning...
The Video Store Shakeup Could Hurt Strip Center Owners
Jan 13, 2005, David Bodamer
Less than two weeks after video rental leader Blockbuster Inc. launched a hostile takeover bid for Hollywood Entertainment Corp., Hollywood surprisingly accepted a $1.2 billion buyout offer from third-ranked Movie Gallery. Hollywood teamed with the smaller buyer rather than tempt the Securities and Exchange Commission's ire by creating a behemoth that could raise antitrust questions. ...
Looking for a Happy New Year
Dec 15, 2004, By David Bodamer
Retail's robust returns will begin to shrink in 2005, but the sector will remain an attractive investment compared to other commercial property sectors and investments, according to a new forecast by Principal Real Estate Investors, Real Estate Research Corp. and Torto Wheaton Research....
Heard on the Floor at ICSC's New York Idea Exchange
Dec 8, 2004, By David Bodamer
Exhibitors and attendees crammed themselves into the New York Hilton this week for the International Council of Shopping Centers' New York Idea Exchange. There wasn't enough space for all the exhibitors, many of whom had sent deposits last spring, only to learn at the last minute that they had no booth...
Black Friday Rocked, Saturday Did Not
Dec 2, 2004, By David Koch
The Thanksgiving weekend started with a bang, and ended with a whimper. Black Friday was hot, with a 10.8 percent increase in sales to about $8 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. But Saturday was not, with $5 billion in sales, a 6.5 percent drop from last year, according to ShopperTrak ...
A S-MART REAL ESTATE PLAY?
Dec 1, 2004, David Bodamer
When the news of Kmart Holding Corp.'s plan to buy Sears, Roebuck and Co. broke in mid-November, the headlines were all about how the discount and department-store...
Exclusive Survey: Readers Sound off on Kmart/Sears Deal
Nov 24, 2004, By David Bodamer
Retail Traffic and National Real Estate Investor readers predict that JCPenney and regional mall operators will be the big losers in Kmart Holding Corp.'s proposed acquisition of Sears, Roebuck & Co. The big winners will be owners of power centers and community centers ...
MEET THE SHOPPERS How, Why and Where They Buy
Nov 1, 2004
Once again, it's time to let retailers and mall developers know what's on shoppers' minds. And this year may well be a wake-up call for businesses to...
The Never-Ending Sale
Nov 1, 2004, David Koch
A massive sea change is on horizon for the U.S. retail industry and apparel worldwide. It will begin on January 1, 2005, with little fanfare. When the...
Gas Prices Putting a Crimp on Discount Retailers
Oct 27, 2004, By David Koch
Car owners aren't the only ones carefully watching high gas prices. Market analysts who cover discount retail stores are also keeping a sharp lookout on creeping costs at the pump. With crude oil approaching $53 on the Nymex, the sentiment on Wall Street is that higher gas prices are hurting discount retailers as lower-income customers get squeezed...
Feeling the Pinch: Wal-Mart's expansion could hurt supermarkets
Oct 6, 2004, By David Koch
With a 55 million-square-foot expansion announced, Wal-Mart is set to squeeze supermarkets further. Stores in strip malls have plenty to worry about with the world's largest retailer's plans renovation and expansion of existing stores and the addition of about 125 to 185 stores nationwide, according to industry watchers ...
Merry Christmas? Probably Not
Sep 30, 2004, By David Koch
The year 2004 may end with a whimper, not a bang, for retailers. Following a disappointing back-to-school season and tepid summer sales, most industry watchers expect holiday sales growth well below last year's 5.1 percent. Projections vary widely -- 3 percent to 6.5 percent growth, with high gas prices cutting discretionary spending at the one end of projections but growing housing starts encouraging home furnishings sales at the other ...
August retail hampered by slow economy
Sep 1, 2004
Consumer confidence took an unexpected dip -- attributed to concerns over job growth -- and on the heels of data from Wal-Mart and elsewhere in retail-land that point to more shopper anxiety ahead. So, are we setting up for a weak fourth quarter ...
NASCAR Dads are Moms Too
Sep 1, 2004, By David Koch
When President George W. Bush made a stop at the Daytona 500 this past February, it wasn't just to say, Gentlemen, start your engines! It was also a shrewd...
