In The News

Dollar Tree tariff mitigation efforts yield results sooner than expected

Published Friday, September 12, 2025

Dollar Tree is thriving after shedding Family Dollar, posting a 12.3% jump in Q2 sales to $4.6 billion and a 6.5% comp increase driven by higher traffic and bigger baskets. The retailer opened 106 new stores, converted 585 locations to its multi-price format, and raised full-year guidance as it attracts value-seeking shoppers across all income levels. With tariffs looming in the second half of the year, Dollar Tree’s expanded pricing assortment and growing appeal to middle- and high-income consumers position it for sustained growth and a sharper competitive edge in discount retail.

Colliers and Placer.ai form a partnership

Published Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Colliers is taking retail foot traffic insights to the next level through its partnership with Placer.ai. The collaboration blends Placer.ai’s powerful analytics with Colliers’ commercial real estate expertise, helping clients understand not just how many shoppers visit stores like Hobby Lobby, Staples, and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet—but also where those visitors come from, where they go next, and how events like farmer’s markets impact ROI. With these deeper layers of insight, Colliers is arming retailers, investors, and developers with data-driven strategies to optimize site selection, marketing, and property performance.

Macy’s posts first sales growth in years, but tariffs cast a shadow

Published Monday, September 8, 2025

Macy’s Inc. is showing signs of a turnaround, even as sales and profits dip. CEO Tony Spring credited stronger staffing, revamped visual merchandising, and localized assortments for driving growth across Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Bluemercury banners. Renovated stores and private-label brands are helping revive customer satisfaction and sales momentum—the company’s first growth in 12 quarters. While tariffs and rising costs pose challenges for the second half of the year, Macy’s renewed focus on retail fundamentals and refreshed assortments has analysts optimistic about its long-term reinvention.

Regional off-pricer Gabe’s under new ownership, avoids bankruptcy

Published Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Regional off-price retailer Gabe’s has successfully completed an out-of-court restructuring and emerged under new ownership, backed by Brigade Capital Management, Arbour Lane Capital Management, and Anchorage Capital Advisors. The restructuring converted more than 75% of outstanding debt into equity, while new capital contributions and vendor partnerships aim to strengthen operations and fuel growth. With about 160 Gabe’s and Old Time Pottery stores across 20 states, the company plans to expand significantly, targeting rural and underserved markets nationwide. Gabe’s leadership, with deep experience from Ross and TJX, continues to leverage strong vendor relationships and loyal customer demand to drive long-term success.

Playboy To Relocate HQ To Miami Beach, Build 'Iconic' New Club

Published Friday, August 29, 2025

Playboy is relocating its global headquarters from Los Angeles to Miami Beach, signing a 20K SF penthouse lease at the newly rebranded Rivani Miami Beach building. The $100M renovation, designed by Rockwell Group, aims to create “Class X” office space with luxury amenities such as a wellness center, Omakase restaurant, speakeasy, and private event venues.

Alongside the headquarters move, Playboy is planning a new hospitality concept in Miami Beach in partnership with a major hospitality brand. The venue will blend luxury dining and a private club experience designed to capture the iconic flair of the original Playboy Mansion.

The relocation comes amid a rebound for Playboy, with licensing revenue up 105% year-over-year and shares rising 10% this week. For the brand, Miami Beach represents both a strategic move to a pro-business hub and a nostalgic return, as the city once hosted a Playboy Club in the 1960s and ’70s.

Texas leading nation in retail real estate construction

Published Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Texas is leading a retail construction boom fueled by strong population growth and business expansion, according to Colliers. Between 2021 and 2025, the state added 0.9% in net domestic migration and now has more than 17 million sq. ft. of retail space under construction, far outpacing the national trend.

Dallas-Fort Worth leads the nation with 7.2 million sq. ft. in the pipeline, while Austin stands out with the highest occupancy rates at 97.1% and strong demand driven by rapid population growth. Houston continues to attract developers with affordable land, steady leasing, and 3.6 million sq. ft. in progress. San Antonio, with occupancy at 96.3%, is experiencing one of its most active construction periods in years.

While retail construction nationwide remains historically low, Texas has become the standout growth market, with nearly one-third of all new first-generation retail space concentrated in the state.

Target and Ulta’s ‘conscious uncoupling’

Published Monday, August 25, 2025

Ulta Beauty and Target are ending their shop-in-shop partnership in August 2026, five years after launch. Both retailers say the split allows them to refocus on retail fundamentals—improving inventory management, tackling shrink, and enhancing customer experience. While Ulta plans to expand exclusive brand partnerships and global growth, Target faces mounting pressure from Walmart and Amazon as it works to strengthen its omnichannel strategy and beauty offerings. Analysts suggest the partnership gave both retailers valuable insights, but the future will now see them competing more directly in the beauty and retail space.

'Temporary' Summer Closures Could Spell Disaster for Miami Dining

Published Friday, August 22, 2025

Miami’s restaurant “slow season” has turned into a wave of closures, with July alone seeing enough shutdowns to fill an entire list. Some spots, like Byblos, Gibson Room, and La Mar, promise comebacks after renovations or relocations. Others, including Gordon Ramsay’s Lucky Cat, Sereia, and Torno Subito, have hit pause with no firm reopening date, while favorites like Ensenada have quietly closed for good. Michelin-starred Itamae AO and James Beard Award-winning Maty’s are also in limbo, their futures uncertain. In Miami dining, “closed for the season” can mean a smart strategy—or the beginning of a final farewell.

Recent News

The warehouse costs hiding in plain sight

Every warehouse has a visibility gap—the difference between what the system says is on the floor and what is actually there—and most operations have wider gaps than they realize, with costs that compound silently through normal-looking activity. The average warehouse spends 6,500 hours per year on manual cycle counts, the equivalent of three full-time employees counting continuously, year-round, yet by the time count data reaches decision-makers, it is already outdated. The underlying causes are consistent across operations: inventory shrinkage, phantom stock, and location drift, with six percent of total labor costs consumed by inventory the team knew existed but couldn't locate. These hidden costs include wasted labor searching for product, inefficient replenishment cycles driven by what's in the building rather than what's on shelves, and the compound effect of inventory management errors that are rarely captured on a single profit-and-loss report.

What the Super El Niño means for retail


The strongest El Niño weather disruption on record is destined to upset seasonal merchandising plans unless retailers prepare for it, with the phenomenon expected to peak between October and January 2026-2027. Brands that sell apparel for low temperatures or gear for winter sports face vulnerability to a potentially very warm winter, including retailers like Burlington, Deckers, Canada Goose, and VF Corp's The North Face and Timberland brands. Conversely, retailers selling warm-weather apparel and goods stand to benefit from extended warm-season purchasing windows that disrupt traditional fall and winter retail cycles. The largest retail implication may emerge through the food supply chain as El Niño adds a layer of volatility to already pressured commodities, with price impacts expected to reach retail shelves six to twelve months after the event peaks, likely in 2027. Over a quarter of consumers surveyed said that good weather leads them to spend more, and warm temperatures caused by El Niño will seem like good weather to many people.

Flock Backlash Isn't Slowing Real Estate's AI-Driven Surveillance Boom

Artificial intelligence-driven surveillance is rapidly expanding across the commercial real estate sector despite facing growing public scrutiny and privacy concerns, with property owners and managers increasingly deploying advanced camera systems and analytics to monitor tenant safety and secure buildings. These sophisticated tools can automatically detect suspicious behavior, unauthorized entry, and potential security threats in real time, significantly reducing the need for constant human monitoring by security personnel and lowering operating costs. Companies like Cloudastructure and Flock Safety are securing major contracts with real estate investment firms, with Cloudastructure recently landing its largest deal to provide exclusive surveillance solutions for a luxury high-rise property in Houston, including 24/7 remote guarding software, smart surveillance cameras, and integrated cloud platforms. Industry advocates argue these technologies are essential for modern risk management, though privacy concerns persist as biometric data collection and omnipresent video surveillance trigger regulatory scrutiny and civil liberties questions.