Retail Therapy Podcast

Guest: David Hinkle, Co-Founder & Principal at The Outlet Resource Group (TORG) Join us for an interesting chat with Co-Founder & Principal of TORG, David Hinkle from his roots in “pop-up” retail, building The Book Market to 1100 locations, to his current role in the outlet business, how the industry has changed, and what the future holds. 

Guest: Ron Thurston, Best Selling Author of RETAIL PRIDE and VP of Stores at INTERMIX   Ron Thurston, is the definitive “Retail Insider”, from selling baby furniture, to Head of Stores for Tory Burch, Bonobos, Saint Laurent, and currently VP of Stores for INTERMIX, his impressive career spans over 30 years. Ron also serves on the Board of Directors for Goodwill Industries and is the author of Retail Pride The Guide To Celebrating Your Accidental Career. Ron says, “The retail industry is the biggest employer in the US, and what’s at the center of retail? …”People!”. Join us for a lively conversation with Amazon best selling author Ron Thurston on the important role of the stores, and the proud professionals who manage them. We’ll set the record straight on brick and mortar retail & ecommerce, and talk about technology and customer experience. Make sure to check out Ron Thurston’s great book Retail Pride, available through Barnes & Nobel, Books A Million, Amazon, and other booksellers. Retailpride.com

  Guest: Chris Reesa, Chief Operating Officer, DLC Management Corp and Host Retail Retold Podcast In this episode we cover a lot of ground with fellow retail real estate enthusiast, podcast host and COO at DLC Management Chris Ressa. Hear DLC’s three pillar operating strategy designed to help meet the challenges of Covid and support retail tenants across their national portfolio of open air centers. Why DLC doesn’t call it “Curbside Pick Up”…. The Landlord & Tenant relationship, technology, and lots more! Make sure to check out Chris and his great guests on the podcast at retailretold.com .  

Guest: Ted McCaffrey, “Omnichannel Enthusiast”, Business Development Consultant – Inventory Intelligence Data Analytics, Sensormatic What is e-commerce? It used to mean buy online and the item was shipped to you. But in our new retail reality with the growing popularity of BOPIS (Buy Online Pick Up in Store) and BOPAC (Buy Online Pick Up At Curb) the gap between physical and online is closing. This week we talked to Ted McCaffrey, self professed “Omnichannel Enthusiast” from Sensormatic about which retailers are winning at e-commerce and why. Sensormatic delivers critical real-time insights to help retailers anticipate changes in merchandise inventory before it happens. Find out where shopping centers fit into today's e-commerce. https://www.sensormatic.com/

Guest: Dan Klenkar, Vice President – Enterprise Sales Radial, Inc. It’s still holiday planning time for shopping centers, and what the holidays will look like this year is still a little fuzzy.  This week we’ve got Dan Klenkar from Radial, Inc. and we’re talking about what is happening with retailers, brands, and stores.  As the market-leader in Omni channel commerce technology and operations Radial,Inc. helps premier brands around the world like Aeropostale, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ralph Lauren, and UNTUCKit, respond to industry disruption and compete in a rapidly evolving market. Needless to say Radial, Inc. is staying very busy these days. https://www.radial.com/   Give a listen to find out what’s happening with apparel and beauty retailers, Black Friday 2020 and more….

Guest:  Brian Lutz, Cherry Hill Programs It’s still July and that means it’s still holiday planning time for shopping centers!  This week we’ve got our old friend Brian Lutz from Cherry Hill Programs and we’re talking Santa Photos.  As the market-leader in experiential photography, operating holiday experiences in over 800 venues across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, Brian and Cherry Hill bring a well informed  perspective on how Santa 2020 will happen in the wake of COVID.   Listen to the podcast to get all the goods, but we’ll leave you with a few nuggets from the conversation - 900 Santas, glare proof plexiglass and camera angles.  And Michael Buble.  This one was fun.  Give it a listen!

Episode 9:  Holiday 2020: A Gap Year For Santa? Part 1 of Holiday 2020 Series Guests:  John Carter, CEO Parker 3D Evan Wadsworth, Director of Creative Strategy Parker 3D It's July and if you're in the shopping center business that means it's time to talk Santa!  With COVID-19 wreaking havoc across the retail world what does the Santa experience look like in 2020?  We're asking a few people in the industry. First stop is Parker 3D, an award winning creator of high impact interactive experiences.  

Retail Therapy talks to some shopping center industry veterans about special holiday programs past and present designed to foster a true sense of community.  Hear how The Washington Prime Group, Urban Edge, and PREIT bring the true spirit of the holidays alive with our guests: Jennifer Moretti, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Brand Partnerships, Washington Prime Group Andrea Simpson, Vice President of Marketing, Urban Edge Bil Ingraham, SVP Business Development, Centennial Real Estate

Guest Host: Ajay Kapoor, CEO of TouchSource Sam Stein, Development Manager shares SPP’s vision for Water Street Tampa, the 56 acre mixed use waterfront community that is changing the face of the city.  Find out the key focus areas critical to ensuring the success of this landmark mixed use project? Strategic Property Partners Water Street Tampa Sparkman Wharf 3:56 No more complicated product than mixed use.  5:00 Focusing on ground plane is a key component for success.  5:45 In general, retail space in Tampa is an afterthought. Typically build a building, save some space and then rent it to the highest bidder. 6:04 Finding more and more that a strong retail base is a key to success. 7:02 it’s really about how you create the best experience for the pedestrian. 8:00 Focused vision on 3 main things: Creating a vibrant retail environment. Prioritizing the public realm. Enhancing health and wellness. 8:58 The real value is creating a place where people want to be.  People need access to outdoor space. They want to feel good and if they do then they stay longer and spend more money. 9:40 Projecting 9 million square feet upon completion. 12:43 we look for opportunities in the future for organic growth. So we try not to over program at the start of the project. 13:40 One of the biggest problems that faces large mixed use developments is that they don’t think about surrounding areas and how to connect with them. 15:29 one of the first things that was done was to break down the blocks to make them more walkable. 16:30 Actively working with Tampa transportation to potentially add some stops and enhance the stops. 17:44 Working toward getting WELL neighborhood certification and would be the first in the world to achieve it. 20:00 A corner of the project was donated to USF to build a medical campus. Thousands of medical students and faculty at the core of the neighborhood. 23:27 1.7 miles of underground piping to help buildings run more efficiently. 24:11 Technology allows us to quickly connect with community. 27:43 Focused on resiliency. No secret that the location is vulnerable with climate changes and rising sea levels. 32:51 It has always been important to the project to not consider this a luxury project. We wanted a diversity in public spaces as well as buildings to have a complete community.

Mark Toro of North American Properties Revel:  https://experiencerevel.com/ Painted Duck:  https://www.thepaintedduckatl.com/ Avalon:  https://www.experienceavalon.com/ Timeline: 3:40 Mixed use reemerging as a stronger force. 5:31 Energy Curves- The key is to identify the uses that will attract and retain human interest on the property. 5:58 Probably 9 or 10 communities in the USA that are the model of what is to come. 7:29 “If you get the street right, everything else will take care of itself.” Don Wood, President Federal Realty Investment Trust 8:25 Retail developers seem to be more successful with used mix because they understand the difference between guests experience at different stores.  10:30  The critical differentiator is that these are communities. The key is to be able to program that public realm to attract people onto the property and hold them there so that they spend money. 14:18 Public spaces are critical to the success. They become the third place for the community. 18:24 Social media, events, activation, concierge, all high touch things were considered as fluff in the real estate industry.  But people are starting to take notice that it has value.  19:10 Retailers are realizing that what is outside their front door allows them to recruit and maintain the best and the brightest. 19:19 Apartment resident recognizes that when they walk out their front door they are already where they are going.  19:45 Multi-family rents are 50% above the market, office rents are 30% above the market, single family residence are 100-150% ahead. 25:40 Instagram is the weapon of choice for social media but all platforms are used.   Build community while building a community. 26:48 Within a month of opening, we scheduled the “Lighting of Avalon” event.  Adverse weather forced the schedule to change and through community social media only, it was rescheduled, and 15,000 people showed up.  29:56 A key component of mixed use properties, is that each of the product developers believe that the key is to create a street level experience that will keep people there. 31:28 We are not in the business of building buildings, we’re in the business of building communities. It’s about the space between the buildings being a playground.

Find out what every shopping center professional needs to know about digital ADA compliance. What does Title III mean for your website and mobile app? What should you do now to make sure you're compliant?

Airport Retail has been called the “sixth continent of luxury” by The Economist magazine. We discuss the unique world of Airport shopping with Kathy Viola, the former GM of Retail and Concessions for the Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC and Airport Retail Consultant with AirProjects, Inc. What can shopping centers learn from airports?

John and Stephanie discuss Personalization – What is it? Why is it important? Plus ideas for helping you get started. “I like my old example of personalization Petticoat Junction, and Mr. Drucker. When you walked into the store he knew what you bought and he said “We’ve got some more of this” or “How about this?” and that sort of is where we need to go on an automated sort of artificially intelligent, algorithmically driven, promotional opportunities to put the right thing for the right shopper at the right time.”

With technology disrupting every aspect of retail, from ecommerce, and customer experience to the supply chain; how are these changes impacting retail leasing? What are the biggest challenges for shopping centers today? We pose the question to Joe Boehm, EVP Retail Leasing at QIC Global Real Estate. “One of them is cost of procrastination, because you know I’ve always maintained, right or wrong, that shopping centers never sit stagnant, they’re either getting better or worse you know day by day.”

John and Stephanie discuss retail and technology with Anne Marie Stephen. Timeline: 1:49 Shoptalk, CES, NRS review.  First quarter goes quickly. 3:21 Anne Marie talks about 3 things that she’s learned. 1. People want to meet and connect with others that have similar interests and challenges.  2. Real need to get under the hood and really learn. 3. Nobody wants to be sold to anymore. 4:11 What are the interesting trends in retail in 2018? 6:50 Technology is allowing brands to connect in ways that they couldn’t before. 7:24 Billy Bass turned into Alexa 8:00 Alexa tells a joke about Billy Bass 8:22 The future of voice in retail. 9:00 What are shopping centers and malls seeing for tech in the industry? 9:16 On demand pop up stores are popular. 11:30 Duration of leases is a challenge for brick and mortar. 14:00 b8ta is reinventing what is happening inside stores. 15:00 Flying Solo, fashion and apparel, 70 designers collaborating under one roof. 17:00 Customers are wanting community and connections. Authentic experiences. 18:20 IS there a mindshift in long term lease and flexibility? 20:00 Leasing challenges are coming from financing.  21:12 Mayor of New York is proposing legislation that vacant retail property could be imposed a penalty. 25:00 AR in beauty is relevant. 26:14 VR can gamify shopping experience. 27:28 Interview/panel with Sophia the Robot.  Autonomous stores are coming.

Retail Therapy Intro Episode