Rachel Hanretty’s Post

Great article by Dennis Limmer of RetailWire outlining the merits of a "pop up" program for retailers. Amongst the many retailers mentioned in the article is Spirit Halloween. Joe Marver was the founder of Spirit. Joe and I were the first two entrepreneurs to develop a profitable business operating pop ups (known as temporary retail at that point) outside an enclosed mall environment in vacant retail spaces, typically over 10,000/sf. Joe was focused on Northern California selling Halloween merchandise. I was (and remain) based in Knoxville opening temporary bookstores nationwide dba The Book Market. Over the period of 17 years, we opened over 1,100 units and had a great deal of success. The acceptance of "pop ups" by the marketplace has been fun to watch. Ignorance can be bliss and when I started leasing space for The Book Market, no landlord that I worked with for the first five years or so had done a short-term lease. I developed many relationships that I still value today. Pop up retail is the foundation of my career and taught me many valuable lessons along the way. It's a niche that I remain passion about, and this article is spot on in many of the attributes. #retail #retailtrends #retailnews #cre #popups #livewire #torg https://lnkd.in/eeaCUeCs

For small businesses with brick-and-mortar stores, foot traffic is (almost) everything. That’s bad news for both rural towns and small business hubs like San Francisco or New York, which haven't yet recovered to pre-pandemic foot traffic levels. #TotalRetail #RetailIndustry #BrickandMortar #SmallBusiness #Retailers

On April 18th the Greater Miramichi Chamber of Commerce proposed to the City of Miramichi: City Manager, Mayor and City Council Members to amend to Sunday Shopping Hours By-Law#74 to "Retailers Choice" – See attached letter On May 7th City Council met and decided that they need more information from the public eg: Business Owners, Retail Workers, and Consumers. They have created a poll https://lnkd.in/gamiZDXE A Few Facts to consider: • Businesses should be able to determine the Sunday opening hours that work best for their business. This could include making the choice to not open on Sundays. • In municipal units that allow retailer choice in Sunday hours of operation: o some retailers feel that the ability to be open during different Sunday hours / longer Sunday hours has been good for their business. o others wanted to be open for different / longer hours but found that it wasn’t a good decision for their business (eg: customers did not frequent the store, the cost did not outweigh the benefit, difficult to find retail workers, etc.). o others had no interest in opening on Sundays and thus, did not open. o Regardless, it should be noted that the retail businesses were allowed to make a business decision regarding their Sunday opening hours. The retailer’s decision may have resulted in success / failure but it was the retailer making a business decision. In Miramichi, retailers cannot make this business decision. • Miramichi and Sackville (Tantramar) are the only remaining municipal units in New Brunswick that dictate the Sunday opening hours to businesses. • In 21st century society, people lead increasingly busy lives thus, if retailers are not open at times / days that are convenient for customers, the customer can easily make their purchases from an e-commerce entity. Many ecommerce entities are open for business, 24/7 and they deliver to a customer’s doorstep. Most of these e-commerce entities do not employ people from Miramichi / people from New Brunswick / etc. • This change would also mean more shoppers coming to the area and encourage Miramichi to shop local

"I want it all and I want it now!"... 🚀 🌪 ... could be the headline of often witnessed retailers dive headfirst into fast expansive store rollouts, often driven by pressure from investors and other financiers. This often leads to rapid openings without adequate validation of success, setting the stage for a host of challenges. Check out my article for ACROSS Magazine regarding more mistakes in retail expansion, link in the comments if you like. Wrong locations with overpriced rental cost can be the result and end in an abrupt finish of the opening phase or worse. But even if the spot is right, what about your store concept? Imagine building 30 times the cashier at the wrong place or choosing the wrong flooring. Some mistakes won´t be easy to reverse or will cost you money. Money you might not have and could spend elsewhere. And I am not even talking about the challenge to finding the right staff on short notice or having insufficient time for infrastructure growth within the organization. I am sure, there are many different opinions on that and maybe there is no right or wrong. It always also depends on the target. Sometime market share seems everything. But from my perspective and experience, retailers that didn´t try to take the quick win with their expansion might be the winner in the long run. Start with a few stores in different locations, then step back to re-evaluate and adapt. This approach allows for a critical examination of the plan, ensuring alignment with diverse customer bases across various locations. Remember, the customer in Berlin differs from Milan or Zurich. A concept's success in one city doesn't guarantee replication elsewhere. What is your view on this topic? And have you experienced in your own company or maybe around you?

Many places are getting left behind because they think of shops only as retail. Drive, park, #shop, leave. Small-scale #manufacturing is a way to reinvigorate your town’s main street without selling its soul. In “Experiential Retail”, we talk about how small-scale manufacturing businesses are essential in a digital world. #SmallBusiness #ShopLocal You can check it out here: https://lnkd.in/ghCuT3a

What if I was to tell you that a convenience store with a precious logo convinced a frothy marketplace that they deserved a fintech valuation amidst the drunken apex of total addressable market, where 'grow-or-die' and 'category disruption' were substitutes for profit and fundamentals. A mere neighborhood bodega reimagined? No, a logistics hub; a tech-enabled, app-supported EXPERIENCE(!!!) with squeaky clean signage. With Branding that beguiled the adoring masses, many mouth-agape retail fan boys and girls who would invoke their expansion as proof positive that retail is not dead, just evolving. Just their logo on a site plan ensured we need look no further- things are about to get cool. Come ye Boba, Putt-Putt, Jeni's and Cro-Nut, this intersection has arrived! Margins? Who cares if we can bamboozle the urban/urbane masses to buy a soggy breakfast taco and an $18 Yeti cup. Stay a while! Note the lighting fixtures, the hardwood floors, the marble counter that provides the same safe reminder of being like that one co-working space. Enjoy your $87 bottle of Angel's Envy. Rent is but a number! Unit economics are for 7-11 to worry about with their square primary colors and gasoline revenue. That it ended before the suburbs of America diminished it is perhaps for the best. https://lnkd.in/gyvF5rtT

"This appears to be a thoughtful, fresh new store design that should resonate well with ACE customers," says Mark Ryski, Author, CEO & Founder of HeadCount Corporation. "And I also think that it will help ACE attract and retain some of the more progressive retail entrepreneurs who may be considering the ACE model. However, as with all franchise/dealer models, the trick is to convince the established ACE dealers to evolve. No doubt that some will be very interested, while others will resist the change and the hefty costs associated with the new store design. That said, it’s right for ACE leadership to move their business forward and evolve, and that’s what this new store design and approach seems to be." Check out more insights from one of the retail industry’s leading experts - https://buff.ly/3qRfPx2. More great comments on this topic by RetailWire's BrainTrust experts including: Neil Saunders, Arnjah Dillard, CAPM, David Biernbaum, Clay Parnell, Shepard (Shep) Hyken, Gene Detroyer, David Spear, Allison McCabe, Melissa Minkow, Robert Amster, Gary Sankary, Mark Self, and Karen Wong.

Thank you Inside Retail Asia for quoting the International Association of Department Stores - IADS in their latest article about Central Group snapping up THE KADEWE GROUP's crown jewel in Berlin! (link in comments, English, paywalled) The retail world graveyard is filled with department stores who thought at one given moment that it was ok to rent their place, rather than own their walls. Granted, leasing makes sense from a financial point of view (especially if you spin off the company like what Saks Fifth Avenue (US) did a few years ago) but is probably detrimental to the business longevity in itself: 📈 Not paying a rent allows retailers to save a few productivity points (did you know that margins in retail are notoriously thin)? Debenhams (UK) forgot this, sold and leased back its stores, and is not around anymore to tell the story. Stockmann (Finland) did the same in 2019, and now Lindex, the parent company, is trying to figure out what to do with the department store... 📉 Not owning your walls exposes you to massive rent increases at the landlord's will. Look at Barneys New York, or Jelmoli in Zurich. Not a surprise therefore that International Association of Department Stores - IADS members, when they have the opportunity, either buy back their stores (Magasin du Nord, Denmark), or let go the few ones they do not own (El Corte Inglés). Given this particular equation, it is not a surprise that Central Group, which already owned a part of THE KADEWE GROUP along with SIGNA Group of Companies, took advantage of the latter's issue to put serious money on the table to purchase Kadewe Berlin's real estate (rumours are on for Oberpollinger and Alsterhaus, the 2 other stores in the group). Central's owning family has retail in their DNA, not finance, and this is probably why they saw this opportunity as a long-term investment rather than a financial coup. If you are not convinced, just look at what they did with their other properties, Rinascente, GLOBUS or ILLUM, where their investments went far beyond what was needed to simply maintain the buildings and wait for potential co-investors: real estate was a simple part of a bigger equation that included rebranding, reviewing the product offer, and ramping up the experiences available in all locations. Thank you Van Tong for the coverage and Christopher Knee for the wisdom.

Retail success. Anchors that attract. Here's a story of how D+R helped a client make a clever strategic decision and the important role of strategic anchors. With over 45 years of unrivalled retail planning experience, Ray, D+R’s Director, share’s his story. “Years ago, a client approached me with a dilemma in relation to a retail shopping centre. A supermarket tenant wasn’t offering much in rent. So the client was leaning towards giving the space to a higher-paying specialty shop. I paused and shared this perspective. If you don’t secure a major drawcard like the supermarket, you may lose more than the high-paying specialty shop. In fact, you might not attract any specialty shops…at all.” Not surprisingly, our client asked why. “Because a supermarket is more than just a tenant. It’s a magnet. It draws foot traffic to create a thriving retail destination, where specialty shops flourish. Without this anchor, the development risks losing its attraction. Which means potential tenants may be hesitant to come on board.” Fast forward in time. Our client went with the major anchor supermarket approach. Which attracted a dynamic mix of specialty tenants. A win for everyone, including the community the development served. This is a fantastic story showcasing how Ray and the team at D+R delivers value beyond the lines you see on architectural retail plans. A studio favourite, and often quoted by Ray, “Success is to think beyond the immediate challenge to strategically build long-term value.” D+R is proud of the guidance and support we give to our clients, so that smart strategic decisions are made. The result. Vibrant, profitable retail destinations. If you have a great retail story, we’d love you to share this with us. #RetailArchitecture #PlanningSpecialists #RetailDevelopments

Why Shopping at Mom-and-Pop Stores Matters Today is National Mom-and-Pop Business Owners Day. There are several reasons why people choose to shop at mom-and-pop stores despite the prevalence of larger chain stores and online retailers. Here are some main reasons why it matters: Personalized Service: Mom-and-pop stores often provide personalized services that larger retailers may not offer. Since these businesses are typically run by the owners or family members, they can develop personal relationships with their customers, understand their preferences, and provide tailored recommendations. Unique Products: Many mom-and-pop stores specialize in unique products that may not be readily available at larger chain stores. These businesses often curate their inventory based on local tastes, trends, and demand, offering a selection of goods that reflects the character and identity of the community. Supporting the Local Economy: Shopping at mom-and-pop stores supports the local economy by keeping money circulating within the community. These businesses create jobs, contribute to local tax revenue, and often source their products from local suppliers, further bolstering the regional economy. Community Connection: Mom-and-pop stores are integral parts of their communities, serving as gathering places where neighbors can interact, socialize, and build relationships. By patronizing these businesses, customers contribute to the sense of community and help preserve local traditions and character. Fostering Entrepreneurship: Supporting mom-and-pop stores encourages entrepreneurship and small business ownership. These businesses often embody the entrepreneurial spirit, with owners taking risks to pursue their passions and provide for their families. By supporting them, customers contribute to the diversity and vitality of the business landscape. Environmental Impact: Shopping locally at mom-and-pop stores can have environmental benefits by reducing the carbon footprint associated with transportation and distribution. Since these businesses often source products locally and on a smaller scale, they may have lower energy consumption and emissions compared to larger retailers. Preserving Tradition: Many people value the sense of tradition and nostalgia associated with shopping at mom-and-pop stores. These businesses often have deep roots in their communities, spanning multiple generations, and shopping at them can evoke feelings of nostalgia for simpler times and a sense of connection to local history. Overall, shopping at mom-and-pop stores offers numerous benefits beyond mere transactions. It fosters community bonds, supports local economies, and celebrates the spirit of entrepreneurship and individuality. #momandpopshop #momandpopshops #momandpopbusinessownersday