Netflix Is Premiering Permanent Venues at Philly, Dallas and Vegas Retail Centers
Images of Netflix House Dallas, above, and Netflix House Philadelphia, at top, courtesy of Netflix
Netflix hopes customers stream into its new brick-and-mortar venues. On its Tudum blog, Netflix announced on Tuesday that it’ll open its first two Netflix House locations in late 2025, at King of Prussia mall in suburban Philadelphia and at Galleria Dallas. A third location is on tap for 2027 at the BLVD Las Vegas shopping center along the Strip. According to the Tudum blog, each Netflix House, measuring more than 100,000 square feet, will be “a permanent, year-round home for fans that brings some of our most popular shows and movies to life … through first-of-their-kind immersive story-driven experiences.” Features of each location will include a theater, virtual reality games, a Netflix Bites eatery, miniature golf and a merchandise shop.
“Finally, a place where the Netflix story you can’t get enough of becomes something real that you can play, shop, and taste,” Netflix chief marketing officer Marian Lee said. “This is fandom coming to life, where you can actually step inside the worlds you’ve been watching and loving for years — whether going on an epic adventure with the Straw Hats, taking a journey into Hawkins, Indiana, or grabbing a cocktail inspired by your latest obsession. With fresh experiences dropping regularly, there’s always a new reason to come back.”
A PREIT Mall in Pennsylvania Adds 3 Kid-Targeted Tenants
Plymouth Meeting Mall in suburban Philadelphia Photo courtesy of PREIT
Ten minutes from the future Netflix House at suburban Philadelphia’s King of Prussia mall, PREIT’s 948,000-square-foot Plymouth Meeting Mall is adding its own experiential tenants, for kids. “Plymouth Meeting Mall prides itself on offering a collection of family-friendly destinations,” said PREIT vice president of specialty leasing Clare Rose.
Stemulis — a 5,481-square-foot interactive science, technology, engineering and math learning center — opened on June 15 and will offer kids’ activities through Aug. 31. DreamLand Adventure, a 6,032-square-foot playland for kids ages 2 to 10, will open on July 1. On the same day, #Cheerboss — which offers activities like tumbling classes, cheer classes and birthday parties — will open in 3,981 square feet. Eventually, it’ll relocate to a 5,192-square-foot space at the mall.
“By creating welcoming spaces for children, families can spend more time in [an] establishment and potentially even make additional purchases,” according to the website of IDS, which designs kid-themed spaces in sectors like retail, healthcare and childcare. “Furthermore, creating a positive experience for families can lead to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth recommendations, ultimately boosting your business’ reputation and success.”
At Home Will Close 26 Stores in Wake of Bankruptcy Filing
Photo credit: M. Suhail - stock.adobe.com
Home decor retailer At Home plans to close over two dozen stores — and potentially more — after filing Monday for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. At Home has arranged a deal that will eliminate nearly $2 billion in debt, provide debtor-in-possession financing up to $600 million and hand ownership to lenders that include funds affiliated with Redwood Capital Management, Farallon Capital Management and Anchorage Capital Advisors. As part of the bankruptcy, At Home has targeted 26 of its 260 stores for closure, according to USA Today, and might shutter additional stores as the case works its way through the legal system, Furniture Today reported.
“Over the past several months, we’ve taken deliberate steps to strengthen the foundation of our business — sharpening our focus, elevating our customer value proposition, and driving operational discipline,” said Brad Weston, who became At Home CEO a year ago. “These efforts are aimed at delivering sustained sales growth, optimizing our inventory management, improving efficiency and enhancing overall profitability.”
Huge Q1 for Bank Sale-Leasebacks
Photo by Harrison Keely - Own work, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The number of branches and headquarters that banks sold through sale-leasebacks in the first quarter of 2025 was more than double the number for all of 2024, according to new analysis from SLB Capital. In the first quarter of this year, three banks closed transactions totaling $540 million. That far exceeds 2024’s full-year volume of $256 million. The biggest first-quarter deal this year: a $467 million transaction involving 165 SouthState Bank locations in the Southeast. “It continues to be a good time for financial institutions to consider selling and leasing back branches and other owned real estate,” SLB principal Stewart Riggs said. “Sale-leasebacks can unlock significant book value, providing banks capital for redeployment into their core business.”
Consumer Reports Finds Positive EV Charger Opportunity Near Retailers
A row of electric vehicle chargers at an Ikea in Grand Prairie, Texas Photo courtesy of Ikea
A Consumer Reports study found that after installation of fast EV chargers nearby, retailers see an average 4% spike in foot traffic and an average 5% jump in revenue as people shop and run errands while charging their vehicles. “Retail stores make excellent candidates for the placement of EV chargers,” according to the study, Charging the Future — The Role of Retail in Our EV Transition. “Their brick-and-mortar facilities have parking lots located near highways and convenient points of interest in communities across the country.”
Based on the study’s findings, there’s plenty of room for EV chargers at retail locations. Of the 270,000 locations reviewed by Consumer Reports, only about 1% provided EV charging. On average, the study showed, EV charging is available at one out of 14 big-box stores, one out of 15 grocery stores and one out of 40 department stores. Only one retailer, Ikea, offered EV charging at nearly all its U.S. stores, according to the study.
How Retail and F&B Sales Fared in May
U.S. retail and food services sales minus motor vehicles and gas rose 4.6% year over year in May, according to advance, seasonally adjusted data from the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s lower than April’s 5.3% increase, which had been the highest jump since December 2023.
May Year-Over-Year Growth in U.S. Sales
Seasonally adjusted, advance data
| Furniture and home furnishings stores | 8.8% |
| Nonstore | 8.3% |
| Health and personal care stores | 7.7% |
| Miscellaneous store retailers | 7.5% |
| Food services and drinking places | 5.3% |
| Clothing and clothing accessories stores | 3.7% |
| General merchandise stores | 2.23% |
| Food-and-beverage stores | 2.17% |
| Sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument and bookstores | 1.8% |
| Building materials and garden equipment and supplies dealers | -1.1% |
| Electronics and appliance stores | -1.9% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
By John Egan
Contributor, Commerce + Communities Today