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The Cadillac of malls

General Motors and Simon Property Group are testing a branding partnership at Atlanta’s tony Phipps Plaza by making Cadillac the “official car” of the 821,000-square-foot mall. The deal includes manned Cadillac displays in the mall’s common areas, by-invitation-only events and sponsorship of the mall’s holiday program. The mall’s valet service will be renamed The Cadillac Valet, and shoppers arriving in Cadillacs will get complimentary service.

 

 

You’ve come a long way baby

Australian photographer Anne Geddes is opening her first store this fall, a 2,700-square-foot space in the Downtown Disney District at Disneyland, in Anaheim, Calif. Famed for her images of cherubic infants in improbable situations, Geddes will display her art in a gallery setting and sell children’s toys, apparel and accessories, knickknacks and sterling silver jewelry decorated with her work at the store. Geddes opened her first boutique in the Wynn Home Store at the Wynn Las Vegas resort in late April.

 

Meet markets

Signs are mixed on just how successful the concept of dating while shopping is. A Wal-Mart in Roanoke, Va., has ended its Singles Shopping program, which encouraged shoppers to cruise the aisles with a red bow affixed to their carts to signal their availability. The program followed successful singles nights at Wal-Marts in Germany. No word from the company on why it nixed the date nights. But a Whole Foods Market in Atlanta is hosting a gay-inclusive singles night that features cooking demonstrations and wine tastings.

 

Mixed-use stink

Sometimes uses just don’t mix well. Witness the residential and restaurant components of a complex on Kalakaua Avenue in Honolulu. Residents at a 25-level condo tower are suing the street-level Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant, claiming that it blows grease fumes onto their balconies. Out-of-court mediation has failed, and the restaurant’s owners say they’ve already spent $300,000 rerouting the ventilation to address other complaints. Now they want the condo association and landlord Jasper Hawaii Investments to chip in on the expense.

 

Perfect fit

The Intellifit System body scanner made its debut in a common-area kiosk at PREIT’s 1.2 million-square-foot Willow Grove (Pa.) Park last month. The glass-enclosed booth, located near the mall’s Bloomingdale’s anchor, uses low-power radio waves to calculate measurements for about 200 body parts during a 10-second scan of fully clothed customers. The kiosk’s search engine then makes suggestions about clothing brands and sizes that will best fit the customer. The service is provided free of charge to shoppers.

 

Tot trackers

A lost child can surely put the brakes on any shopping trip. That’s why The Mills Corp. plans to expand the SafeTzone system used by Sawgrass Mills anchor Wannado City to its entire mall, which lies outside Miami. Wannado City, a children’s entertainment park, uses the electronic monitoring system to help parents keep track of their kids. Each child wears a waterproof transmitter on the wrist, which allows tracking on an electronic map.

 

When in India

Now is the time for foreign retailers and developers to set up business in India, says research firm ATKearney, because the nation’s $330 billion retail market is expected to grow 10 percent a year moving forward. But newcomers will face quite a culture curve in serving this densely populated, heterogenous society.

With more than 1 billion people, and about 25 percent of them living below the poverty line, landlords and retailers have to screen shoppers to weed out those just seeking air conditioning, rest rooms or a respite from street life. Most shopping centers in India require their patrons to flash either a cell phone or a credit card to obtain access.

 

Smart carts

Fujitsu recently introduced a high-tech shopping cart that features a wireless scanner and monitor, allowing customers to scan their own purchases and keep a running tally of their expenditures as they go. Shoppers scan loyalty cards into a device on the cart, which can access data from past trips to do such things as remind someone that it’s probably time to buy more eggs. The carts address consumer frustrations with checkout lines, price labeling and item location, Fujitsu says. The Japanese technology firm introduced the cart at a trade show in Sydney, Australia, last month and hopes to persuade shopping centers there — many of which include supermarkets — to adopt the innovation.

 

Nothing but net

Basketball is bouncing into malls, thanks to a new concept called Mall Ball, a chain of glass-enclosed shooting ranges that is expected to open units in 100 regional malls by February. For $4, shoppers see how many baskets they can make in 24 seconds inside the 16-foot-high, 22-foot-long, 11-foot-wide enclosures. Authentic NBA backboards add drama to the installation, as does an action-calling emcee. Cash and merchandise prizes go to the highest scorers. Founded in 2004, the concept is a brainchild of video game entrepreneur James Lesser and is already up and running at two PREIT-owned malls outside Washington, D.C.

 

Skate or die

California property managers have had it with troublesome skateboarders. Many are turning to Web site www.skatestoppers.com to order a variety of devices that make smooth walkways and railings less appealing to skateboarders. CB Richard Ellis senior real estate manager Karin Knorr says she budgets about $500 per month for each community center in her Sacramento-centric portfolio to repair damage caused by skateboarders. Examples include a skateboarder crashing headfirst through the window of a Big Lots store. At the 86,000-square-foot West Court Plaza alone, angry skateboarders caused more than $4,000 worth of damage when they took a sledgehammer to a concrete anti-skating device.

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