| September 26 – October 3, 2022
 An article in Wealth Management this week discussed some of the shifts happening in retail as we things continue to rebalance after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The article notes that some traditional mall-based retailers have found success going out on their own, but notes that others are finding new success within the mall. What is driving some out of the mall and what (if anything) can bring them back? Our hypothesis is that retailers are looking for more than just a lease of “four walls and a roof,” and we believe that as a property owner you can provide that with unique leasing structures, retail-as-a-service offerings, and other tools and technology that not only entice retailers to your center, but benefit you as well (and the consumer of course).
This week we also heard about new BOPIS offerings heading into the holidays, why it’s so hard to get restaurant reservations right now, and a debate around if “holiday creep” has gone too far. Anything you’d like to hear more about in these newsletters? Let us know over on Twitter or LinkedIn. A quick scheduling note that newsletter will take a brief hiatus next week, but we’ll be back in your inbox on October 10.
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Digital Meets Physical
Walmart enters the metaverse with Roblox experiences aimed at younger shoppers [CNBC]
Walmart is entering the metaverse with two experiences, Walmart Land and Walmart’s Universe of Play, in gaming platform Roblox. The retailer is experimenting with other ways to reach shoppers, including shoppable recipes, livestreaming events and an augmented reality feature for furniture.Athleta partners with ThredUp, Simon in omnichannel ventures [Chain Store Age]
Athleta is diving deeper into resale. The women’s athletic apparel brand, a division of Gap Inc., is entering into a new resale partnership with ThredUp, and also opening an online storefront with Shop Premium Outlets. Athleta says it intends both partnerships to deliver new value to customers shopping in stores and online |
What Kroger, Walmart, Target learned from China’s Alibaba about grocery’s future [CNBC]
Omnichannel retail is now critical for all the major players in the consumer sector, from grocers like Kroger to Target and Walmart .For supermarkets, a big digital prod came from China. Jack Ma, founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba coined the term “New Retail” in 2016 and proceeded to open 300 high-tech Freshippo-branded supermarkets in 27 Chinese cities.Shopify launches retail hardware with plans to power ‘growth of offline retail’ [BNN Bloomberg]
Shopify Inc. is launching POS Go, a piece of retail hardware that allows merchants to accept payments, monitor sales and manage inventory.In a press release Tuesday, the company said “retail is back” and it’s looking to start “powering the growth of offline retail.” |
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Micro & Last Mile Fulfillment
Five Below rolls out BOPIS nationwide [Chain Store Age]
Five Below is the latest retailer to provide a popular omnichannel shopping feature. The tween and teen extreme-value retailer is now offering customers nationwide the option to buy online and pick up orders in-store (BOPIS). At all of Five Below’s more than 1,250 stores located across the U.S., this new buying option applies to the entire $1-5 extreme value assortment of products including games, tech, arts & crafts, candy, snacks, and beauty; as well as the company’s “Five Beyond” premium section with slightly higher prices. |
Amazon’s robots are getting closer to replacing human hands [Vox]
A recent video published on the company’s science blog features a new “pinch-grasping” robot system that could one day do a lot of the work that humans in Amazon warehouses do today.FedEx CEO says Ground contractors ready to deliver for the holidays [SupplyChainDive]
FedEx Ground has signed 96% of its 6,000 contractors onto a peak season incentive program, a feat that leaves the company “well-positioned” to deliver for the holidays. |
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Restaurants & Ghost Kitchens
How Ghost Financial is Bringing Dark Kitchens Into the Light [QSR Magazine]
Ghost Financial is a fintech startup that provides loans, insurance, payroll, and other financial products to ghost kitchen operators. Meyer started the company after venturing into the expanding arena himself. |
AI and Machine Learning Enter the Kitchen at Chipotle [QSR Magazine]
Chipotle’s next era of technology has begun to take shape inside restaurants, with a central focus on optimization. The fast casual announced it’s piloting multiple technologies to streamline operations and strip friction from its business. |
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Nothing Is Cooler Than Going Out to Dinner [The Atlantic]
These days, many restaurants are packed, and reservations can seem impossible to come by. Especially in major cities such as New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, full of relatively young professionals who want to be seen as cool, walk-in tables and last-minute reservations have grown more scarce, and once a new place is receiving attention in food media and on Instagram, it’s probably already too late. |
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Mall Talk
How COVID-19 Changed Retailers’ Site Selection Strategies [Wealth Management]
In our post-COVID era, a new trend is emerging in retail that is changing how these businesses operate. Retail stores that have traditionally only been seen in shopping malls are now moving out and finding new opportunities to establish standalone storefronts, and vice versa.Holiday sales creep has gotten out of hand [CNN]
Holiday creep is nothing new, as each year retailers start the Christmas season earlier and earlier. But has it gotten out of hand? Should consumers be flooded with holiday music, displays and advertisements in October — a month commonly associated with the World Series, apple picking and Halloween? |
Art, music, and fashion take over American Dream this fall [Chain Store Age]
American Dream continues its roll with special events. What’s new you ask? Just an immersive 3-dimensional odyssey through more than 300 works by post-Impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh.Macy’s enters marketplace competition with Amazon, Walmart, eBay [Chain Store Age]
Department store retailer Macy’s Inc. is officially launching a new digital marketplace. The marketplace provides customers with a curated assortment of 400 new brands and products in 20 merchandise categories from third-party merchants and brand partners. Marketplace items will be seamlessly integrated into the product assortment of the e-commerce site during fall 2022. |
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