Here’s what I learned attending the International Council of Shopping Center’s Idea Exchange. There were probably 800 attendees, and it was a full day event.

First-Timers Orientation Breakfast

Moderator: Chris Wilson, Executive VP, JLL

• Recommended attending the Western States ICSC event (5,000 attendees)
• Can learn from the CBPA – California Building Properties Association
• RECON – May 19-22 – 30,000 attendees
• The shopping center industry is one of consistency and attendance
• Plan your day with a specific agenda: review the attendee list, set a meeting for every 30 minutes, meetings are “hit & run” where you make an introduction then discuss next steps
• “Disruption is the norm”
• With the people you meet find reasons to connect in the future

Leveraging the Convergence of “Cool” and “Credit” Tenants in the Current Retail Landscape

Moderator: Phillip Otto, President, Otto Design Group | Michael Abbate, VP Store Development, Starbucks | Ashley Marlowe, Sr. Director, Equinox | Bret Nielsen, Sr. VP, Caruso | Ryan Smith, Exec. VP, Hackman Capital Partners | Mario Del Pero, President, Mendocino Farms

• Ashley said to “stay fresh and relevant” in the marketHow to craft a destination – Bret says Mario is a “merchant with passion” who more than convinced the Caruso organization to believe in him.
• Caruso is creating Neighborhood Gathering Places such as Culver Steps a 115,000 SF mixed use space (1 acre site + 1 acre park)
• Equinox loves co-working, coffee, shopping, and fitness (all inclusive). They are the cool kid who can anchor a project and help bring along others
• Starbucks: 80%+ of their developments are drive thru as drive thru is 60% of their business. They are “in the people business serving coffee”.
• Parking lot functionality is a huge part of shopping centers. It’s important to dedicate space for 3rd party deliveries.
• “Geo-fences” are being used to alert stores of possible nearby shoppers or to send coupons to consumer’s phones to entice them to stop in the shopping center.
• Bret asked, “how do we give time back to our customers?” He said apps give businesses the ability to compete with Amazon.
• The Pacific Village project recently opened in the Pacific Palisades (Caruso) looks like it’s always been there. Their leasing agent found this location then they worked with the neighborhood to formulate the project. For Caruso projects, they spend 10% on building designs and 90% of their time on the parking lot layout.
• Amazon requires 4 stalls per 1000 SF (over code) for their leases.
• “No matter how much you build – parking will always be a problem.”
• Equinox is rolling out a lower cost gym called “Plank”
• Mendocino is constantly mining business by listening to their clients

Retailers’ Runway

Moderator: James Cook, American Director of Research, JLL

Join our expert retailers as they offer insight and discuss emerging trends of the “new look of brick-and-mortar.” Including new concepts, the future of the store and how retailers are adjusting their site criteria and growth strategies to get ahead in today’s market.

• This year’s 6 dimensions of retail: intuitive, human interactions, meaningful, Immersive, accessible, and personalized
• Dunkin Donuts – Espresso Rollout – 1,000 to 1,500 stores added in California over the next 20 years
• Longhorn Steakhouse (Darden Restaurants) – expanding in the Greater LA area, need 130 parking spaces
• Burger IM – 200 stores under construction, 500+ by 2021
• 7 Leaves Café – seven co-founders, 200+ stores in development (No. CA, Vegas, Oregon, WA, TX)
• Albertson’s – greenfield growth areas, 18,000 to 60,000 SF stores
• 7-11 in aggressive growth mode, add 10,000 stores by 2027, 100 new in Los Angeles, starting something called “Delivery Now’ for beer and wine delivery

By John Cruikshank, PE, February 28, 2019, Anaheim Convention Center