The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
NEW YORK, United States — US retail mall vacancies increased in the second quarter and rents were slightly higher, real estate research firm Reis Inc said in a report.
The national retail vacancy rate rose to 10 percent in the second quarter from 9.9 percent in the first quarter, partly due to new construction that was only partially absorbed by new leasing, Reis said.
The mall vacancy rate inched up 0.2 percent to 8.1 percent in the quarter from the earlier quarter due to confirmed closings of Macy's Inc stores, the research firm added.
Macy's has been closing underperforming stores and focusing on its digital business.
ADVERTISEMENT
Net absorption, which is measured in terms of available retail space sold in the market during a certain time period, fell to 421,000 square feet in the quarter from 2 million square feet in the first quarter, the lowest level since 2011.
"The negative net absorption seen in June may be a harbinger of things to come in the next few quarters as more store closings will likely hit the statistics yielding negative net absorption," Barbara Denham, senior economist at Reis, said.
Asking rents increased 0.4 percent to $20.64 per square foot and effective rents increased 0.4 percent from the first quarter, according to the report.
By Radhika Rukmangadhan; editor: Martina D'Couto.
The company, under siege from Arkhouse Management Co. and Brigade Capital Management, doesn’t need the activists when it can be its own, writes Andrea Felsted.
As the German sportswear giant taps surging demand for its Samba and Gazelle sneakers, it’s also taking steps to spread its bets ahead of peak interest.
A profitable, multi-trillion dollar fashion industry populated with brands that generate minimal economic and environmental waste is within our reach, argues Lawrence Lenihan.
RFID technology has made self-checkout far more efficient than traditional scanning kiosks at retailers like Zara and Uniqlo, but the industry at large hesitates to fully embrace the innovation over concerns of theft and customer engagement.