The Shopping Site

Shopping and Playing At The Mall

May 20th, 2012


When families shopping in central Tokyos Roppongi Hills complex need a quick diaper change, or a juice box, they dash over to the Family Room.

Outfitted with books and toys, tiny tables and chairs, a juice-and-milk vending machine, a TV, and a nursing-and-changing room, the Family Room was our refuge when our toddlers needed a break from shopping, when we lived in Tokyo between 2007 and 2010.

Just outside the door is a child-scale bathroom, done up in cheerful tiles, for kids old enough to go on their own (with parental supervision) but too young for the adult bathrooms nearby. Theres even a faucet for mixing baby formula.

Of all the reasons why Tokyo is a fantastic place to live with small children, family-rest areas like this in shopping malls and other public places are high on the list. Now American malls are trying something similar by souping up their (American-sized) play areas, according to a recent Wall Street Journal story.

The idea of giving the kids something to do while the grown-ups are busy is a familiar one. IKEA has its ball-pit play areas, where babysitters will watch children as their parents shop for Swedish furniture. The playgrounds at McDonalds, Burger King, and other fast-food restaurants are populardestinations for weary families on car trips.

Pairing shopping and playing is a smart move, especially when stores are aimed at working parents who need to shoehorn shopping into a busy weekend. (“Just let mommy try on these shoes, and well head down to the playspace.)

This could be particularly useful here in the U.S., where a national obesity problem isnt helped by parents other favorite shopping-mall enticement: the food court.

Readers, how do you convince your kids to cooperate while you shop or run errands? Is a mall playspace a good idea?

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TNP Strategic Retail Trust Acquires Willow Run Shopping Center in Denver Suburb

May 20th, 2012

IRVINE, Calif., May 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — TNP Strategic Retail Trust, Inc. (the “Company”), a public non-traded REIT that invests in grocery and drug-store anchored, multi-tenant necessity retail properties and other real estate-related assets, announced today the completion of the Company’s eighteenth acquisition, Willow Run Shopping Center, a retail center located in Westminster, Colorado, a suburb of Denver.

Willow Run Shopping Center is a 95,791 square-foot retail center built in 1999 and anchored by Safeway, a S&P Rated BBB grocery store. The center is 88 percent leased by a variety of national and regional tenants including: McDonald’s (S&P Rated A), Advance America, Allstate, Subway and Rosati’s Pizza.

“Willow Run Shopping Center is located in a thriving suburb of Denver with a dense, growing population of more than 90,000 residents within a three-mile radius and solid credit tenants, including Safeway and McDonald’s,” said Thompson National Properties’ senior vice president, acquisitions, Steve Corea. “The center has more than 30,000 vehicles pass by the property each day and is easily accessible from major traffic arteries, including Interstate 25 and Federal Blvd.”

About TNP Strategic Retail Trust, Inc.
TNP Strategic Retail Trust, Inc. is a publicly registered non-traded REIT that invests in grocery and drug-store anchored, multi-tenant necessity retail properties, located primarily in the Western United States, and real estate related assets, including investment in or origination of mortgage, mezzanine, bridge and other loans related to commercial real estate. TNP Strategic Retail Trust has acquired 18 shopping centers in 14 states containing more than 1.8 million square feet at an overall purchase price of approximately $231 million. For more information regarding TNP Strategic Retail Trust, please visit www.tnpsrt.com.  

About Thompson National Properties, LLC
Thompson National Properties, LLC (TNP) is an international real estate advisory company, specializing in the creation and management of real estate investment funds. TNP uses a variety of investment structures to fit the needs of its investors, which are designed for both institutional and high net worth individual investors. Thompson National Properties is also a leader in both property and asset management and receivership services, a key element in any successful commercial real estate investment in today’s lender-driven marketplace.

Headquartered in Irvine, California, Thompson National Properties was founded in April 2008 and has six regional offices. As of May 18, 2012, Thompson National Properties manages a portfolio of 151 commercial properties, in 30 states, totaling approximately 17.4 million square feet, on behalf of over 5,600 investor/owners with an overall purchase value of $2.1 billion. For more information regarding Thompson National Properties, please visit www.tnpre.com.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities.

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Shopping and Playing At The Mall

May 18th, 2012


When families shopping in central Tokyos Roppongi Hills complex need a quick diaper change, or a juice box, they dash over to the Family Room.

Outfitted with books and toys, tiny tables and chairs, a juice-and-milk vending machine, a TV, and a nursing-and-changing room, the Family Room was our refuge when our toddlers needed a break from shopping, when we lived in Tokyo between 2007 and 2010.

Just outside the door is a child-scale bathroom, done up in cheerful tiles, for kids old enough to go on their own (with parental supervision) but too young for the adult bathrooms nearby. Theres even a faucet for mixing baby formula.

Of all the reasons why Tokyo is a fantastic place to live with small children, family-rest areas like this in shopping malls and other public places are high on the list. Now American malls are trying something similar by souping up their (American-sized) play areas, according to a recent Wall Street Journal story.

The idea of giving the kids something to do while the grown-ups are busy is a familiar one. IKEA has its ball-pit play areas, where babysitters will watch children as their parents shop for Swedish furniture. The playgrounds at McDonalds, Burger King, and other fast-food restaurants are populardestinations for weary families on car trips.

Pairing shopping and playing is a smart move, especially when stores are aimed at working parents who need to shoehorn shopping into a busy weekend. (“Just let mommy try on these shoes, and well head down to the playspace.)

This could be particularly useful here in the U.S., where a national obesity problem isnt helped by parents other favorite shopping-mall enticement: the food court.

Readers, how do you convince your kids to cooperate while you shop or run errands? Is a mall playspace a good idea?

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NYC Retail Report: Hot Shopping Corridors on Madison and Upper 5th Avenue Fetch High Rents

May 18th, 2012

NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwire -05/18/12)-
The market for Manhattan retail space has tightened in the most prominent shopping corridors with asking rents on Madison Avenue and Fifth Avenue seeing significant increases, according to The Real Estate Board of New York’s (REBNY‘s) Spring 2012 Retail Report. Demand for prime store space continues to raise the asking rents and prestige in these retail corridors.

The report found that average asking rents on Upper Fifth Avenue between 49th and 59th streets have shot up 22 percent to $2,750 per square foot for ground floor space compared to the Spring of last year. Average asking rents for ground floor space on Madison Avenue between 57th and 72nd streets have increased a sizable 31 percent to $1,203 since the Spring of 2011. On Fifth Avenue between 42nd and 49th streets, asking rents were up a whopping 75 percent to $900 per square foot as lack of available space on Upper Fifth Avenue caused a trickle-down effect.

“Our report shows that asking rents in the exclusive shopping corridors in Manhattan are increasing significantly as a result of competition for prime space in these areas,” said Steven Spinola, REBNY President. “One of the most significant developments in this period according to our Retail Advisory Group has been the relentless ground floor asking rent increases for retail space on Lower Fifth Avenue between 42nd and 49th Streets. The advisory group attributed this surge in asking rents to the lack of space on Upper Fifth Avenue, which caused a spillover effect for the available space on Lower Fifth Avenue, and also the result of the high degree of pedestrian traffic on the avenue.”

The top five increasing prime shopping corridors this report period were:

1) Fifth Avenue between 42nd and 49th streets with asking rents surging 75 percent compared to spring of last year.

2) Madison Avenue between 57th and 72nd streets with asking rents up 31 percent to $1,203 since spring of last year.

3) A tie between East 86th Street between Lexington and Second avenues where, with few listings, asking rents were driven up 23 percent to $410 per square foot since last year, and Herald Square on West 34th Street between Fifth and Seventh avenues, with asking rents also increasing 23 percent to $558 per square foot.

4) Upper Fifth Avenue between 49th and 59th streets saw asking rents up 22 percent to $2,750, again attributed to the lack of prime available space in that corridor.

5) In SoHo on Broadway between Houston and Broome streets — where only a few prime spaces are still available — asking rents were up 11 percent to $551 per square foot.

Overall, asking rents for all space in Manhattan are up two percent since the fall of 2011 and down one percent compared to a year ago.

REBNY’s Retail report compiles data about asking rents for available space provided by a broad cross-section of the city’s leading retail brokers.

Tweet this: Report cites big increases in asking rents for city’s primary shopping corridors on 5th and Madison Aves @REBNY report: http://rebny.com/.

For the full report visit www.rebny.com.

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The Talent Shopping Network Talent member Video

May 16th, 2012

Audition online with agents and create audition networks

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TLDR: Weight Loss, Shopping, Google OS, and Music Creation

May 16th, 2012

Open Source Weight Loss Week 1: the Rollercoaster www.lockergnome.com 10 Favorite Music Creation Apps for iPhone and iPad www.lockergnome.com Compromised Contacts Can Cause Confusion www.lockergnome.com Dead Drops Offer Global Offline Anonymous File Sharing Network www.lockergnome.com Updated Google OS: Why You Will Like It www.lockergnome.com Five Reasons to Shop Online www.lockergnome.com Pirillo Vlog 019 – Mystery of the Lip Thing chris.pirillo.com Pirillo Vlog 020 – Join Us for a Free Midnight Snack! youtu.be Pirillo Vlog 021 – We’re on a Boat! youtu.be Back Link of the Day blogas.ateitis.lt Thanks to Vytautas Girdzijauskas (wish me luck on me pronouncing that correctly) of Neliberaliai for mentioning a recent LockerGnome post by new contributor Maximilian about where inspiration for writing can be found! If you’d like to be mentioned as a Back Link of the Day, link to one of our posts on LockerGnome.com from your site and — this is the important part — tell us about it! www.lockergnome.com Join us when the countdown ends! www.gnomies.com http profiles.google.com twitter.com www.facebook.com

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Ramco-Gershenson Announces Definitive Agreements to Acquire Four Multi-Anchored Shopping Centers in Major Markets

May 16th, 2012

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust (the “Company”) (NYSE:RPTNews) announced
today that it has entered into definitive purchase agreements to acquire
four shopping centers in Colorado, Missouri and Wisconsin. The
acquisitions are subject to customary closing conditions. The closings
of the purchases are expected to occur in late May or early June 2012.
It is anticipated that the purchases will be all cash transactions.

  • Harvest Junction North and South are regional community centers in the
    metropolitan Boulder, Colorado area. The purchase prices for Harvest
    Junction North and Harvest Junction South are approximately $35.5
    million and $33.7 million, respectively. Combined, the two shopping
    centers encompass 327,875 square feet and feature a dynamic line up of
    national, creditworthy retailers, including Bed Bath & Beyond,
    Marshalls, Ross Dress for Less, DSW Shoe Warehouse, Dick’s Sporting
    Goods, Lowe’s (anchor-owned), Best Buy, Michaels, Staples, ULTA
    Beauty, Dollar Tree and PETCO. The shopping centers were built in
    2006. In addition to the acquisition of Harvest Junction North and
    South, which are currently 96% leased, the Company is under contract
    to purchase an additional 14 acres of land adjacent to Harvest
    Junction North for a purchase price of approximately $2.7 million, for
    future expansion. Harvest Junction North and South are located at the
    high traffic intersection of Ken Pratt Boulevard and South Main Street
    in Longmont, Colorado. The shopping centers are part of a growing and
    affluent trade area. Over 30% of the households have an average income
    that exceeds $100,000 and the three-mile population is expected to
    grow approximately 4% over the next five years.
  • Central Plaza is located in metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri. The
    purchase price for Central Plaza is approximately $21.6 million. A
    retenanting of the shopping center was completed this year to include
    a new Ross Dress for Less and buybuy Baby. The 166,468 square foot
    center is also anchored by Office Max and JoAnn Fabrics. Central
    Plaza, currently 100% leased, marks the Company’s third acquisition in
    the metropolitan St. Louis market. Central Plaza is located on the
    northeast quadrant of Manchester Road and Vlasis Drive, approximately
    20 miles west of downtown St. Louis in the suburb of Ballwin. The
    three-mile trade area population is 78,000 and has an average
    household income of $102,000.
  • Nagawaukee Shopping Center is located in the greater Milwaukee,
    Wisconsin area. The purchase price for Nagawaukee Shopping Center is
    approximately $15.1 million. The 113,617 square foot shopping center
    is anchored by a Kohl’s Department Store and complemented by Bath &
    Body Works, GNC, Maurice’s, the UPS Store and Cost Cutters. The center
    is also anchored by a 60,000 square foot Sentry Supermarket, which is
    not part of the acquisition. Nagawaukee Shopping Center is
    Ramco-Gershenson’s third property in the greater Milwaukee area and
    its fourth asset in the state of Wisconsin. The shopping center is
    located at the northeast quadrant of Interstate 94 and Highway 83 in
    Delafield, one of the most affluent suburbs of Milwaukee with an
    average three-mile household income of $105,000.

The Company also announced the sale of two non-core shopping centers
located in Florida, Pelican Plaza and Southbay Shopping Center, which
generated net proceeds of approximately $5.4 million.

“The planned purchase of these four shopping centers reflects our focus
on acquiring high-quality assets in trade areas with a superior
demographic profile and that have a strong national, credit-quality
tenant line-up,” said Dennis Gershenson, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Ramco-Gershenson. “All of the centers are vibrant shopping
destinations that will complement our portfolio of dominant,
multi-anchored properties. These acquisitions coupled with our recent
sales of non-core assets reinforce our goal to concentrate our efforts
on quality of life communities that have growing populations with high
average household incomes and educational levels, as well as being
located in close proximity to thriving industries.”

About Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust

Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust (NYSE:RPTNews) is a fully integrated,
self-administered, publicly-traded real estate investment trust (REIT)
based in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Our primary business is the
ownership and management of shopping centers in targeted markets in the
Eastern and Midwestern regions of the United States. At March 31, 2012,
the Company owned and managed a portfolio of 80 shopping centers and one
office building with approximately 14.9 million square feet of gross
leasable area owned by the Company or its joint ventures. The properties
are located in Michigan, Florida, Ohio, Georgia, Missouri, Wisconsin,
Illinois Indiana, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Tennessee. For
additional information regarding Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust,
visit the Company’s website at www.rgpt.com.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements that represent
the Company’s expectations and projections for the future. Management of
Ramco-Gershenson believes the expectations reflected in any
forward-looking statements made in this press release are based on
reasonable assumptions. Certain factors could occur that might cause
actual results to vary, including deterioration in national economic
conditions, weakening of real estate markets, decreases in the
availability of credit, increases in interest rates, adverse changes in
the retail industry, our continuing ability to qualify as a REIT and
other factors discussed in the Company’s reports filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.

Click
here to subscribe to Mobile Alerts for Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust
.

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Shopping: High Low Vintage opens in Pasadena

May 16th, 2012

High Low Vintage

Openings

High Low Vintage, which specializes in men’s and women’s fashions worn from the 1950s through the 1980s, has opened in Pasadena. The shop also carries antique and collectible furniture and is the exclusive Pasadena retailer for Caterina de Medici perfumes from Italy. High Low, owned by Carolyn Gray, is open from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday at 1031 E. Green St., Pasadena. (626) 356-0402

British luxury brand Eskandar opened its second U.S. flagship on Monday in West Hollywood. The store offers women’s clothing, accessories and jewelry created by Anglo Persian designer Eskandar, who is known for simple lines, signature draping and luxurious fabrications. The designer is to be on hand at the store through Saturday. The boutique, at 8816 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, is open from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. (310) 246-9800

SwimSpot, which specializes in contemporary and designer swimwear, celebrated the grand opening of its new store at Santa Monica Place on Tuesday. The boutique features fit specialists to help find the most flattering styles and in-store iPads to access the company’s website and its “bikini builder,” which helps in mixing and matching from an array of brands. The new store is at 395 Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica. It’s open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. (877) 684-7946.

SwimSpot also plans grand openings at three other area venues: 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Westfield Santa Anita in Arcadia; 5 to 8 p.m. May 22 at Westfield Topanga Canyon in Canoga Park; and 5 to 8 p.m. May 24 at Westfield Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks.

Sandast, which carries leather goods and accessories for men and women, opens its flagship store and workshop on Thursday in downtown Los Angeles. The label is designed by founder Milan Franeta, whose new line of artisan totes and bags will be introduced at the new store. A grand opening celebration is planned from 8 to 11:30 p.m. Thursday at the store, at 1205 S. Hill St., Los Angeles. (213) 748-1210

Trunk Shows

Karen Michelle Boutique plans a trunk show with one-of-a-kind jewelry, free neck massages and makeovers from 2 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at 1444 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 777-6700 

Sample Sales

Sanctuary’s sample sale for women is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, with prices starting at $15. The sale will be at 3611 San Fernando Blvd., Burbank. Cash and credit cards only, with a 10% surcharge on credit and debit cards. No strollers. The sale is open to women only.

Rebecca Minkoff’s “I Love RM” sample sale is planned this weekend at Confederacy, 4661 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. (323) 913-3040

Events

Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills is showcasing fashion designs from students at Otis College of Art and Design in its windows through May 29. The students were mentored by top designers including Todd Oldham, David Meister, Ron Beattie, Liliana Casabal of Morgan Le Fay and costume designer Dominque Lemieux of Cirque du Soliel. The store is at 9700 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills.

PF Flyers celebrates its 75th year by introducing a limited-edition 75th anniversary shoe collection on Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. at American Rag Cie, 150 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles.

RELATED:

Jewelry designer Alexis Bittar in expansion mode

New guide ranks safe, effective sunscreens

Kohl’s launches sporty new collection to support breast cancer research

– Susan Denley

Photo: High Low Vintage in Pasadena specializes in fashions from the 1950s through the 1980s. Credit: Carolyn Gray


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Charity shopping site doubles contributions

May 14th, 2012

USave.co.nz, a new Kiwi-owned shopping and auction site that helps charities, clubs and schools fundraise, has announced that it will double its contribution to New Zealand nonprofits, now giving half of its sales commissions back to the Shopper’s chosen charity.

USave, launched last year, is the brainchild of Kiwi sales people Mark Brown and Steve Harris.

Their vision is to bring Kiwi ingenuity and unprecedented corporate social responsibility to the world. USave, which sells name brand new items in its €œNew Items€ section and pre-loved goods by auction in its Garage Sale€ section, is the online equivalent of the classic Kiwi sausage sizzle a way for New Zealand charities large and small to generate donations each time a supporter sells or buys an item on the site.

In addition to half of the sales commissions, charities can also earn a $5 donation when a supporter signs on to become a seller, as well as $1 on every purchase over $40 in the new items section.

To date, USave has over 200 well known charities registered to receive donations and is actively signing up schools.

USave also has over 100 merchants listing close to 30,000 products, most at discounted prices.

Although USave gives back 50% of their sales commissions, commissions are priced well below their biggest competitor (TradeMe). The founders are also planning to offer Cars, Real Estate, Services and more which will also generate funds for worthy New Zealand causes. The company is looking for investment capital and is poised to capture a percentage of the New Zealand online retail market, currently valued at over $2.9 billion.

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Leon Cooperman's Bank Shopping Spree: Billionaire Picked Up BofA, Citi And More In Q1

May 14th, 2012

Omega Advisors founder Leon Cooperman made a big bet on U.S. financial stocks during the first quarter, based on the latest SEC filing from the hedge fund manager

According to a 13-F detailing his holdings as of March 31, American International Group, Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo were among Cooperman’s new positions during the quarter, while he doubled his stake in JPMorgan Chase.

Bank stocks rallied in the first quarter, with BofA in particular racing out of the gate in 2012, but have surrendered portions of those gains since reporting earnings. The latest headache for the sector came last Thursday, when JPMorgan disclosed a $2 billion trading loss that reinvigorated the debate about whether the biggest U.S. banks should be allowed to engage in risky trading for their own books.

Monday’s filing, a snapshot of Cooperman’s portfolio at the end of March, does not take into account whether the billionaire has sold or added to the positions in the weeks since Q1 ended. According to the 13F, Omega opened a 1.5 million share position in AIG, bought just under 6.5 million BofA shares, 1.8 million of Citi and 1.5 million of Wells Fargo, while more than doubling its stake in JPMorgan to 2.2 million from 877,564.

The value of those positions at Monday’s closing prices:

AIG $45.9 million

BofA $47.6 million

Citi $50.4 million

JPMorgan $79.4 million

Wells Fargo $49.9 million.

The billionaire’s investments were not limited to the financial sector in the quarter either. Also among the changes from the end of Q4 were a new position of 1 million shares in Ford Motor and an increase in Cooperman’s Apple stake to 293,004 shares, from 238,604.

Leon Cooperman recently spoke with Steve Forbes about his investments and the letter he sent to President Obama. Watch the video below:


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