Our retail roadshow: ICSC Special Interest Groups

We're taking our show and hitting the road! The ICSC Special Interest Group for women in the shopping center industry, launched so successfully at RECon 2010 in Las Vegas in May, is moving forward. Our first regional group will be held from 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday, July 14 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, in conjunction with the ICSC New England Idea Exchange taking place July 14 and 15. Again, our SIG (the only one being held at this meeting, by the way) will consist of roundtables led by exceptional leaders in this industry. I will chair the panel and discuss New Retailers and Globalization. Patricia Cornelison, a principal of Boston-based design firm Arrowstreet and a LEED AP, will offer her views on The Climate for Green Design. Susan Lucas, senior vice president of asset management for The Wilder Cos., will discuss "Practical Budgeting for Asset Management." Wendy Berger, a member of Cole, Schotz, Meisel, Forman & Leonard, P.A., will discuss "Negotiating in Business and Life." Nicki Doggart, U.S. CEO of Hotel Chocolat, and Brenda McKenzie, Director of Economic Redevelopment for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, will offer their perspectives on the site selection process and public sectors, respectively. What is even more exciting is ICSC's new policy to open these up to those outside the Idea Exchange. Attendance is included in the Idea Exchange registration fee - though preregistration prior to the session is an absolute must. However, if attending the full conference isn't in your plans, you can attend the SIG for a $25 fee. To register for the full conference, visit www.icsc.org/2010NE. To register for the SIG, email [email protected]. To attend the SIG only, register at www.icsc.org/2010SIG1. Retail continues its careful comeback, particularly for those involved with the luxury sector. Luxury, in fact, has been leading all retail sectors in sales gains despite the inevitable ups and downs of a recovery. That mood was corroborated by a just-released A.T. Kearney survey that shows that retailers should focus on international expansion, including some emerging markets many observers may not have considered. China topped that list, but smaller countries such as Uruguay, Albania and Macedonia also made the top 10. And a number of U.S. retailers have committed to expanding overseas - Best Buy is growing in the United Kingdom, Starbucks continues to expand in China, and Pinkberry also plans domestic and international growth. The good news continues closer to home - Forever 21 made its long-awaited Times Square debut in late June, bringing a monstrous collection of affordable women's wear, menswear and accessories to the heart of New York. Camera buffs should head to the new Leica shop-in-shop at the Willoughby Imaging Center at 298 Fifth. It's Leica's first store in the city. We all can't wait for the Intercontinental Hotel to open at 44th Street and Eighth Avenue in mid-July. Other newcomers include Valeria Smith, who brings her bags and shoes from Buenos Aires to 85 Mercer Street. Rag & Bone is reportedly opening on July 1 at the old Café Colonial space at 73 East Houston. Ferality Show offers a mix of contemporary designers of women's and men's apparel at 62 Clinton Street. Sephora will open on 13th Street and Ninth Avenue. Feeling nostalgic for the New York rendered in that quintessential film "The French Connection"? The façade of Urban Outfitters' store on the Upper West Side, coming this fall, will resemble a collection of small neighborhood mom-and-pops, including a bodega. Moncler is bringing its skiwear to 90 Prince Street. Burberry Brit is opening at 369 Bleecker Street in November. Continuing the British invasion, Ted Baker is coming to Little West 12th Street. Neighborhood reports say Paige Premium Denim will come to 71st Street and Broadway. For those spending weekends on the beach, more continues to open in the Hamptons. South Edison, run by Chef Todd Mitgang, opened at 17 South Edison Street in Montauk in late June, with Vineyard Vines scheduled to open at 35 Main Street in Southampton by month-end. LT Burger (from Chef Laurent Tourondel) in Sag Harbor also was scheduled for a late June debut. So from a global perspective to local markets here and in Boston, the retail business is on the move! Faith Hope Consolo is the chairman of Prudential Douglas Elliman's Retail Group, New York, N.Y.