When it comes to specialty retail, it's all about location, location, location! Read up on hot malls, emerging retail markets and unique retail locations.
Staycations and the recession might have caused some turbulence in airport retail, but things are looking up. See what concepts are bucking the weak economy and continuing to soar high.
As a visual merchandiser for a wide range of retailers, I often find myself talking with retailers about their businesses, focusing in on what retailers really sell. Products are exchanged between retailers and their customers, yes, but what's really being sold isn't sitting on the shelf.
Do I need a business plan and sales history to land a spot in an airport's specialty leasing program? What's the biggest mistake entrepreneurs make when pitching their concept? Answers to your top 10 airport retail FAQs from an insider who knows what it takes for an airport concept to take flight.
In 2000, Bruce McCorvey opened his first airport location for Miami-based Better Vision Group, which primarily sells reading glasses. Today he has three retail merchandise units, two at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and one at Washington-Dulles International Airport, and he's looking to open a fourth in George Bush Intercontinental Airport/Houston.
They're cropping up all over, these "lifestyle centers." With their clean, attractive "Main Street" look, higher-end retailers, mix of eateries and on-site entertainment, they're designed to serve upscale communities. Lifestyle centers are the new place to shop. And consumers are buying.
Selling out takes on new meaning when specialty retailers move outdoors. Here's a look at why outdoor markets are so attractive—to retailers as well as shoppers.
Imagine locating your business in a place where exciting things are always going on and crowds of shoppers come not just for jeans or shoes or gifts, but for a fun shopping experience as well. That's "retail-tainment!" And it works.
Smart retailers know it always pays to keep an eye out for new ideas to keep customers coming back. Merchandise marts—where a variety of products is available under one roof—are an important resource for retailers who want to freshen their product lines.
The annual rodeo in Houston. A bus station in urban Boston. An upscale "lifestyle center" in LA. What do they have in common? Common area programs--and great opportunities for short-term specialty retailers.