The enforced isolation of the pandemic spurred a huge jump in online shopping, but as restrictions ease, stores are making a comeback. A century of in-store shopping habits isn’t going to vanish in two years, said analyst Mark Shmulik. Online shopping spending is down from 15.7% of retail sales in the second quarter of 2020 to 12.9% in the fourth quarter of 2021, returning to pre-pandemic levels. Though foot traffic at shopping centers is still down from pre-pandemic levels, it has improved recently. Placer.ai said monthly visits to the top indoor malls grew nearly 17% in March from the prior month, while visits to open-air lifestyle centers grew at an 18% clip and visits to outlets by 26%. Read more at The Wall Street Journal.

And Now That Store Experience Is More Personal

The retailer survivors of COVID took a close look at how they were using customer data and have found new ways to personalize each shopper’s experience. They increasingly are using their own data rather than data from third-party suppliers to customize interactions with shoppers. Data from sources like social media, web browsing history and direct interactions with the stores has little value on its own. However, overlaying these data points on each other provides context and insight that help retailers tailor personal experiences. Companies increasingly are encouraging customers to supplement the in-store experience via features like augmented reality, which also are a great way to collect data and better understand consumer habits. Read more of Hivecell CEO Gerard Miler’s commentary at Retail Touchpoints.

12 tenant updates

Borsalino: The Italian luxury hatmaker is testing the U.S. market with a pop-up at Bal Harbour Shops near Miami. The company’s first presence in North America, it opened this month and will operate through July. The 160-year-old Borsalino, which made the hat Humphrey Bogart wore in Casablanca, has nine stores across Europe, including a new unit in Monte Carlo.

Brooklinen: The direct-to-consumer bedding brand plans to triple its brick-and-mortar store count in 2022 by adding units in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon, to its two stores in New York City. By 2024, Brooklinen aims to operate 25 to 30 locations. Its first permanent physical store opened in January 2020.

Champs Sports: The sporting goods retailer opened its biggest store yet, a 35,000-square-foot experiential concept in Pembroke Pines, Florida, called Champs Sports Homefield, pictured at top. The concept includes a regulation-size basketball court, a multisports court and vertical jump and shuttle run stations that let guests size up their athletic skills in a virtual reality combine. The store also features nutritional and lifestyle products from GNC. Foot Locker owns Champs Sports, which operates 547 stores.

Cinnabon Swirl: Restaurant conglomerate Focus Brands plans to test a concept that merges Cinnabon with ice cream chain Carvel. Focus will roll out a couple test locations in March 2023 and is identifying potential franchisees.

Gentle Monster: The avant-garde South Korean eyewear brand will open at American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The brand’s museum-like stores boast immersive and experiential displays. It already has three U.S. stores, each with a different theme: The Visitor in New York City, Harvest in Los Angeles and Memory in Santa Clara, California. The brand also has 39 stores in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Lacoste: The tennis sportswear brand is serving up more physical retail space. The company, which has 70 stores worldwide, is building its largest store yet, in Paris, for a May opening. Lacoste also has pop-ups and two big renovations planned for this year. Its brick-and-mortar stores have been profitable and have led to increased e-commerce sales in the markets where they’re located, giving the retailer confidence to keep investing in them, said North America CEO Robert Aldrich.

Nordstrom: After a pilot that began in 2021 and netted the department store chain $40 million, Nordstom is expanding the opportunity to more brands to advertise on its app and website and to use its targeted marketing data to buy digital advertising on other websites. Nordstrom’s app and website get a combined 32 million annual visitors. In the past two years, about 12 retailers have launched similar networks, according to TotalRetail.

Popeyes: The chicken chain will open 200 units this year, including a two-level flagship in New York City’s Times Square this fall. More than half the new locations will feature double drive-thru lanes.

Quiznos and Taco Del Mar: The fast-casual chains are selling franchises in the metaverse. This summer, parent REGO Restaurant Group will start selling master franchises to operate Quiznos and Taco Del Mar facilities in virtual buildings in the metaverse.

Smashburger: The Denver-based hamburger chain opened its first location that features a full bar, at Denver’s Lowry Town Center. The 2,000-square-foot location serves cocktails and beer on draft and in cans. The company, which is owned by Jollibee Foods Corp., plans to open 25 restaurants this year.

Super G Mart: The Asia-themed grocery chain will open its largest store yet, a 108,000-square-foot unit in a former Kmart at Carolina Place mall in Pineville, North Carolina. The store will feature aisles of Asian and Latin groceries, a 25,000-square-foot international food hall, a community space for cooking classes and other events, and a 2,800-square-foot full-service restaurant serving Asian cuisine. Pandemic-related construction slowdowns delayed the grand opening from January to this summer. Super G also operates a store in each Charlotte and Greensboro, North Carolina.

Wolf & Wren Press: The independent, online stationery brand, which specializes in letterpress greeting cards, opened its first physical store, a 400-square-front streetfront unit on Main Street in Longmont, Colorado.

—ICSC Small Business Center executive editor Will Swarts contributed to this report