| We went on a brief newsletter hiatus last week, but the news kept coming…and the theme of retail theft remained a central headline. This week we saw more news about store closures due to theft and safety concerns and rampant looting in Philadelphia, as well as more reports about body-worn cameras for security and how AI and ML are helping to combat porch pirates. As we mentioned in our last newsletter, while retail crime is not a “new” phenomenon, we do seem to be hitting a bit of a peak that is certainly concerning. We’re happy to see the issue being taken seriously and tech being deployed to help combat the myriad challenges. If you need help evaluating how to address crime in your centers, we’re here to chat anytime.
This week we also caught up on headlines about card/cash-free checkouts, an expanded mall-based partnership with a last-mile delivery and retail-tech company, and reports on how luxury retail is doing in the U.S. You can find us over on LinkedIn if there are any headlines you’d like our take on – just give us a tag. |
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| Amazon’s checkout-free stores are coming to Toronto and Calgary sports arenas [BNN Bloomberg] Toronto and Calgary sports fans will soon be able to skip the lineup when purchasing snacks before or during games. Scotiabank Arena in Toronto and Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary are spending the fall rolling out Amazon Web Services (AWS) technology allowing some of the venues’ stores to offer fans checkout-free shopping.
Mercedes and Mastercard Debut Fingerprint Payment Offering in Germany [PYMNTS] Mastercard has launched an in-car payment partnership aimed at Mercedes drivers in Germany. The collaboration will let customers use a fingerprint sensor in their car to make digital payments at more than 3,600 service stations in Germany, the companies announced. |
| Five Innovative Mall Stores and Malls [InStore] Despite competition from e-commerce and falling out of sync with many consumers’ needs, the mall is re-emerging as a place for both shopping and socializing. Frame, an Amsterdam-based design publication, recently rounded up five stores and shopping centers that reflect that evolving mission.
Aldi offers staff body-worn cameras amid shoplifting surge [RetailGazette] Aldi has become the latest supermarket to offer staff body-worn cameras in a bid to deter shoplifters. Chief executive Giles Hurley said the move was being trialled in a handful of the supermarket’s stores as crime rates across its portfolio surged. “There’s an uptick [in shoplifting] across the industry and we’re not immune to that,” he said. “It is a top priority for us.” |
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| Micro & Last Mile Fulfillment |
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| Simon Property Group Expands Dropit Partnership [MultiChannelMerchant] Mall REIT Simon Property Group has expanded its partnership with retail technology provider Dropit to offer its tenants the ability to optimize functions like ship from store, inventory management and returns, powered by AI technology, initially at 60 Simon locations with plans to expand to all 194 malls nationally.
H&M follows Next, Zara and Boohoo to charge shoppers for online returns [City A.M.] H&M has become the latest retailer to charge shoppers to return their online shopping purchases. Customers will now be asked to pay £1.99 when they want to take back purchases they made on the H&M website, according to reports in BBC. |
| Walmart expands Express Delivery to 10 pm [RetailDive] Walmart said it’s expanded its delivery hours. With Late-Night Express Delivery, customers who order by 9:30 p.m. will get their orders delivered by 10 p.m.
Amazon Continues Push Beyond its Own Ecosystem with Debut of ‘Supply Chain by Amazon’ [Retail Touchpoints] The pandemic made “supply chain” a commonplace term, and now Amazon wants to make it commonplace with the debut of a new suite of solutions for sellers called “Supply Chain by Amazon,” described as “an end-to-end, fully automated set of supply chain services that will provide sellers with a complete solution to quickly and reliably move products directly from their manufacturers to customers.” |
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| Restaurants & Ghost Kitchens |
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| The demand for restaurant real estate is ‘through the roof’ [Nation’s Restaurant News] We’ve tried to articulate the state of the consumer for about a year now and more signs are starting to show of a pullback on discretionary spending. That said, consumers have largely shown a sustained willingness to spend their money at restaurants and on experiences. Perhaps that explains why operators are bullish about finding real estate. According to Emily Durham, at JLL, demand on the restaurant real estate side is “through the roof.” |
| Restaurants Consolidate Tech Stacks in Search for Simpler Solutions [PYMNTS] Many restaurants have built up their tech stacks over time and are now seeking to winnow down their digital solutions, finding themselves with a disorderly tangle of incompatible software. Take, for instance, Inspire Brands, the parent company of Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jimmy John’s and more. The restaurant group, which has more than 32,000 restaurants across its portfolio, is standardizing its eCommerce solutions across many of its restaurants. |
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| Malls’ Foot Traffic Flows Depend on Many Factors [GlobeSt.] Many malls are facing long-standing challenges but how is that affecting shoppers’ visits this year? Placer.ai took an in-depth look at the three main mall categories: Class A Indoor malls, Open-Air Lifestyle Centers and Outlet Malls, and what it found is that patterns differ according to a number of factors including by region.
Lululemon, Apple, Foot Locker among stores looted in Philadelphia [Chain Store Age] Dozens of looters, mostly teenagers, ransacked stores across Philadelphia on Tuesday night, smashing store windows, toppling displays and fleeing with merchandise. The disruption started in the early evening, shortly after the conclusion of peaceful protests against a judge’s decision to dismiss all charges against a former Philadelphia police officer in the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry during an encounter at a traffic stop in August. |
| Target closing nine stores in key cities amid theft, safety concerns [Chain Store Age] Target Corp. is taking action in response to theft and organized retail crime which it said is threatening the safety of its employees and customers. The retailer will close nine stores in cities across four states — New York, California, Oregon and Washington — on Oct. 21. The shutterings include three stores in San Francisco, one in New York City, two in Seattle, and three in Portland.
U.S. Luxury Retail Is Thriving, With Brands Leasing 650,000 Square Feet Of Space In 12 Months [Forbes] Following a year of record-level growth for the luxury sector, leading luxury brands have focused on actively increasing their retail footprint, as shown in JLL’s latest luxury report. Luxury groups including LVMH, Kering and Richemont added 650,000 square feet of retail space in the past 12 months. |
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