Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/753030
118 S C T / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 roughly a dozen in number. "People will wait two hours for their poke," said Famularo. "It's amazing; it's all about takeout, and the lines are around the block." Two other trends are leisure and sports apparel stores and anything beauty-related, Consolo says. "Leisure wear is being worn as everyday clothing now, and beauty brands like Ulta are now going onto the street, not just in New York but in every major city," she said. "So are the niche brands, like Benefit Cosmetics, Nars Cosmetics and Jo Malone — all these segments of makeup and fragrance." Pop-up stores have become more popular among retailers choosing to test their concepts through this lower-cost format. "This is really smart," said Consolo, "especially for the new online retailer, who has to learn what it means to have a high rent and what the volume of shopping in New York can do, overall, to better their business." The more established online merchants are trying out the format too. "I'm working on two spaces on lower Fifth Avenue with HSN and QVC, bringing online shopping to the street," said Consolo. "They're going to try it as a pop-up, and if it goes well, we'll go permanent. I did 40 stores since the beginning of the year that are pop-ups that are probably going permanent." n A major subway line connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan is scheduled to shut down for 18 months starting as soon as January 2019, a move that has some retailers moaning. But according to the Real Estate Board of New York's biannual Brooklyn retail report, the news isn't hurting retail rents in the popular Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, where high- end condos and stores are cropping up. "While the impending L train subway service interruption between Manhattan and Brooklyn has been pinned by some as a potential inconvenience for shoppers traveling between the two boroughs, our Brooklyn Retail Advisory Group identifies that the suspension of service will not pose major difficulties for the retail market," said Peter Levitan of Lee & Associates NYC, a member of REBNY's Brooklyn Retail Advisory Group. "Immense future development and trends in alternative transportation have the potential to offset any loss of ridership. And once the con- struction is finished, increased service will feed retail in Williamsburg and beyond." "It's amazing; it's all about takeout, and the lines are around the block" BROOKLYN AND BEYOND Bakery chains such as Au Bon Pain, le Pain Quotidien and Pret-a-Manger are snapping up sites to ensure that New York City gets its daily bread S I T E S & C I T I E S