The Power of Retail

Since I write about retail here, I thought I would past a photo of The Mall of the Emirates, one of the most popular malls in Dubai. There are several new malls coming up in the city, including Dubai Mall and Mall of the World (I think that’s the name), both of which will be huge in terms of size, brands, entertainment and activities. With each new mall that comes up, there seems to be a new level that is crossed. The Mall of the Emirates has a ski slope, complete with lifts, two food courts, one restaurant court and several other food areas, besides an performing arts center, multiplex, and so on. The Dubai Mall is said to have an aquarium with a walk through tunnel and will be opening in September this year.

Popularity: 42% [?]

Having the plumber over for some work is not a lot of fun, but the after effect definitely is. It’s been long overdue, but it really is time for some new Danze faucets, I think. Our landlord has been quite generous and asked us to select our own choice of fixtures, since we are the ones going to be using them. There really is nothing like a great kitchen and bathroom plumbing and fixtures, is there….and it’s even better when the landlord is paying for them, right! We’ve looked at a lot of fixtures over the last few months, but I’m so glad that we found the ones that we wanted.

Popularity: 42% [?]

Retailers are cutting back on newer projects and are researching prospects much more carefully now due to the slowdown of the economy. Major retailers such as Home Depot, Michaels, Toys R Us and J C Penney will still be expanding but will be paying closer attention to all the details. According to Hunter Stansbury, a senior real estate manager at Home Depot, the company needs a “cooling-down period”. Rising construction costs are a major factor in this issue. Texas is getting more store openings than other states, as it is perceived as a growth state for several of the large chain stores, including Home Depot.

“Texas is our growth state,” said Home Depot’s Mr. Stansbury. Its Texas stores are performing better than the chain as a whole, with comparable store sales increases or slight declines.

“I’m in Texas every month,” said Toys R Us real estate director Bill Oughton. The chain has no plans to retrench.This year, the New Jersey-based chain is building 20 combination Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores under the same roof and plans to put Babies R Us stores inside 25 existing Toys R Us stores.

Popularity: 34% [?]

These days every second advertisement that I see in the newspaper, magazine or TV is to do with weight loss. You just cannot have an excuse if you’re trying to lose weight and have given up. There’s everything from drinking green tea remedies to the much stronger Ephedrasil Hardcore, which is supposed to make you lose a lot of weight. Very frankly, I do not know of anyone who has used it as yet, but I would be interested to find out what the success rate was and also what the side effects are. Like with every other weight loss of diet plan, one must get a check up from a physician before starting on a new plan, since it can be dangerous if your body is not up to it.

Popularity: 33% [?]

Ever since I took up an interest in photography, I have started to notice things that I’d never even seen before. Maybe I did see the things, but they did not have an impact on me like they do now. My mind has become more curious about how to photograph things in a different way, how to capture them best, how to make ugly things look beautiful and so on. It certainly is a very interesting and time consuming past time.

Here is a shot that I took last month. It’s a simple shot, but I loved the way the colors came together and complemented each other.

Popularity: 58% [?]

The joy of vacationing is to travel to new places, but it is also to go back to familiar and well loved places. I find it very calming and relaxing to go back to a place that I have been to before, since there is none of that rush around to go see as many things as possible, but instead is a nice relaxed time. I think something like a fractional ownership would be a really great option for me, so that I could go back to the same place and really create my own sense of home and belonging there. It’s important to have such a place to rejuvenate and refresh while on vacation and I really am quite taken with the amazing natural beauty of the area. Looking forward to doing some more research on this.

Popularity: 58% [?]

Walmart and JCPenney’s new lines of furniture, Canopy and Linden Street are not well known or branded products, but they are all the same targeting the customers who shop at branded stores such as Pottery Barn and Ikea. Walmart mailed its shoppers a catalog of 33 pages detailing its line of products of the Canopy line, which also has it’s own website at www.canopyliving.com. As a competitive move, all items that are shipped to Walmart stores will have free shipping. With this new brand, the company is hoping to create a different feel and look for its customers. The Walmart name or brand does not appear on the website unless you really go and dig for it, which is an intended move.

JCPenney on the other hand, created its new brand Linden Street, as it realized that its customers were going in for the simpler designs in furniture, bedding and window dressings. Consumers were more interested in everyday furniture, that focused on function and form first and only then fashion, but nothing that was too ornate.

Even before the housing downturn put home furnishings retailers in a spiral, Americans were migrating to a more casual style and lower prices for furniture. Penney’s and Wal-Mart’s moves signal a recognition that the furniture industry has to “find ways to attract a new generation,” said Jerry Epperson, a longtime furniture analyst for investment banking firm Mann, Armistead & Epperson.

“They aren’t going to do it selling $5,000 to $10,000 dining room and bedroom suites,” he said. “Younger people are buying items, not suites, and they want them to be practical and functional.” Smaller living spaces, younger households and the desire for everything to be both functional and fashionable have led consumers to ready-to-assemble furniture and modestly priced pieces that will move from first apartment to family room.

Popularity: 53% [?]

One of the most fun things that one can buy in the summer are nice summer sandals. Nothing quite like declaring summer, but showing off your tippy toes, isn’t it? I try to buy a couple of new sandals each season, so that I get my shoe buying fix and update my wardrobe. Lately, I’ve been rather impressed with Ecco shoes, a brand that I’ve never worn before. Their products are really great quality and have a nice understated elegance to them, nothing too flashy or crass at all. Agreed, they are known more for their comfort than their styles or fashion forwardness, but they are great shoes for anyone who has to spend a lot of time on their feet.

Popularity: 53% [?]

Kids love to be able to design their own clothes, and now a retailer has come up with the very same idea in a workable manner. Springwise reports that Fashionology LA, a Beverly Hills store is allowing its teen customers to design their own clothes, by selecting from a several designs as inspiration and then selecting what they would like to make of it, using the touch screen Design pads. They will also be able to select a mood suhc as Pop, Rock, Peace, Malibu or Juku, select the embellishments they would like to be on the garment and so on.

Once the design process is complete, you head to the U-Bar where an inhouse Fashionologist will use a heat press and add the design elements to the garment. Once ready, the customer can put on the garment and be photographed in it and if she agrees, the photo will be shown on the stores 70inch screen and also be emailed to her so she can share her new look with her friends. The cost of the process costs from USD 20-90 depending on what item you pick and how elaborate the design is.

Popularity: 53% [?]

Summer is never complete with all the accessories, such as a new bikini, a great tan, beach worthy reading and your latest and newest diet pills. Shocking? Well, no need to be, this is the way that the trends are going and most young girls rely on some form of diet pills or the other to have that bikini ready body. The pressures of looking good have got so enormous that natural methods are never as effective. Well, actually they are effective, but just not in the time frame that most young people are looking for a change. And so it comes down to faster and more effective treatments like these. There could be side effects, so it is best to do your own checking and get a health check before you start on any new diet or exercise plan.

Popularity: 46% [?]