Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/122387
r e T a i l i n g T o d a y which provides management and support services to nearly 8,000 members. Gale owned and operated Eagle Postal Centers, in Dallas, before assuming his current post. "The Mailbox Stores [units] are growing very well, because the cost of entry is very low," said Gale. The stores measure roughly 1,100 square feet and are typically located in grocery-anchored shopping centers or neighborhood strip malls. The company likes to build at centers with tenants that provide such services as dry cleaning, nail care and day care. "Most of our customers are women who don't have a lot of time, so they need the convenience of being able to get in and out quickly," Whitley said. An owner's ex- H I G H LY V I S I B L E F R O M H I G H W AY 1 0 1 I N W E S T V E N T U R A C O U N T Y, C A L I F O R N I A THE NEW do-everything DESTINATION NOW OPEN: TARGET • CENTURY THEATRES • REI Kabuki Japanese Restaurant • Panera Bread • Sleep Number Starbucks • Menchie's Frozen Yogurt • Five Guys Burgers & Fries Gandolfo's NY Deli • Massage Envy & Spa COMING SOON: WHOLE FOODS • H&M; • 24-HOUR FITNESS Yard House • Toby Keith's Bar & Grill • Republic Of Couture • Ulta Beauty Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana • Famous Dave's BBQ • Charming Charlie Gen Korean BBQ • Chico's • Soma Intimates • Francesca's LEASING INFORMATION: Shea Properties: 858.526.6650 or CenterCal Properties: 310.563.6900 or visit TheCollectionRP.com/leasing 106 SC T / M a y 2 0 1 3 pected return on investment is difficult to pinpoint, Whitley says. "They're not required to report their financials to us," she said. "It basically depends on the enthusiasm and drive of the owner." Mail Box Stores is affiliated with Discount Retail Store Services, one of the largest retail business opportunity developers in the country. In a little over 12 years the company has opened nearly 3,000 retail outlets, including Mail Box Stores units. Discount Retail Store Services develops discount and clothing stores, fitness centers and the like. Nonfranchised, independent stores make up about 50 percent of the private packingand-shipping industry, according to Retail Shipping Associates. Including franchises such as UPS and FedEx, there are some 11,000 U.S. packing-and-shipping operations. The U.S. private-packaging industry generates upwards of $100 million in sales annually, and as more professionals opt to work from home, businesses that offer packaging-and-shipping services have grown in popularity. These complement the U.S. Postal Service, which has in recent years trimmed hours and closed sites, and which proposed halting Saturday delivery before dropping the idea last month. "What these stores represent is an alternative-access channel to the USPS," said Gale. "We're a very key piece of the Postal Service's need to downsize, and one of the reasons the public loves our business is it gives them options, and pricing is very competitive." Of course, market oversaturation remains an inherent risk, sources say. "Only so many people are going to use those stores, so you want to make sure you don't cannibalize your existing base," said Britt Beemer, chairman and CEO of America's Research Group, a Summerville, S.C.–based consultant. "But from a consumer perspective, you hear very positive things about them." SCT