Tag Archives: retail

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Tampa Bay Times: Tyrone Square Mall redevelopment a sign of the times for retail

A developer has demolished the Sears store at Tyrone Square Mall and is replacing it with a Dick's Sporting Goods and Lucky's Market. [CHERIE DIEZ | Times]

By Justine Griffin

ST. PETERSBURG — The fences are up and the construction has started. The former Sears department store at Tyrone Square Mall, which had been open for nearly 50 years, closed months ago to make room for new development: Tampa Bay’s first Lucky’s Market organic grocery store and a Dick’s Sporting Goods.

It’s a classic sign of the times for the American shopping mall — traditional department stores are closing at a remarkable rate while newcomers are gobbling up the prime real estate left behind after their funeral. But in an intriguing turn of events, the flailing, though long-standing Sears store that closed in St. Petersburg and the new tenants that are coming in after it, are all benefiting the same company. Or at least, the same owner.

Seritage Growth Properties is the New York-based real estate company in charge of a redevelopment plan at Tyrone Square Mall, which includes demolishing the 188,515-square-foot department store to make way for a new 151,952-square-foot shopping center for tenants like Dick’s, Lucky’s and Petsmart, with room for one more anchoring retailer. Seritage, which went public in 2015, is responsible for developing more than 200 Sears department store sites across the country. It’s the same company that turned half the Sears space at Westfield Countryside Mall in Clearwater into a Whole Food Market.

The link? Billionaire Eddie Lampert.

Read more here.

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Retailers continue to struggle with no saving grace in sight

Tampa Bay Times, April 14, 2017

By Justine Griffin

I’ve written the phrase “it’s been a tough year for retail” more times than I can remember.

 

Not to sound redundant, but yeah, it’s been a very tough year for retail. And it’s only April.

Retail jobs fell by 30,000 in March, more than any other industry sector, according to the most recent U.S. jobs report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Macy’s announced it would close more stores, including the one that recently shuttered at University Mall in Tampa. The Sears department store closed at Tyrone Square Mall after nearly 50 years of operating there to make room for a future Lucky’s Market and Dick’s Sporting Goods. And with debt piling up, the future of what was once a household brand name, Sears, is as uncertain as ever.

Nine retailers have filed for bankruptcy so far this year — as many as in all of 2016. Sports Authority, Payless Shoe Source, hhgregg, The Limited and Wet Seal, are among those we saw disappear in Tampa Bay. Even the analysts, who have mostly been upbeat about the evolution of retail at least in the six years I’ve been writing about it in Florida, seem grim about the future.

Read more here.

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It may be legal now, but opening a medical marijuana store in Florida is harder than you think

By Justine Griffin, Tampa Bay Times, March 3, 2017

surterra

TAMPA — The Surterra Therapeutics storefront on Fowler Avenue doesn’t look like the kind of place where people can buy pot.

There’s no green marijuana leaves lit in neon lights nor blacked-out windows. No security guard is checking IDs at the front door. Visitors don’t have to be escorted into another room to see the product.

And that’s on purpose.

As one of seven select companies licensed to grow, manufacture, distribute and sell marijuana in Florida, Surterra Holdings Inc. executives are used to explaining that they’re not in business to be another smoke shop. But that’s tough to do when even the bank lenders, real estate brokers, landlords and insurance agents are wary of doing business with them.

“We’re trying to change the stigma,” said Monica Russell, a spokeswoman for Surterra, who noted even securing insurance for the company’s fleet of delivery trucks has been a challenge. “We want people to come here so they can have a conversation and see we’re actually a health and wellness company.”

Marijuana is still considered an illegal substance at the federal level, despite the 28 states that have legalized it for recreational or medicinal use in recent years. That makes it nearly impossible for banks to fund marijuana distributing companies, which in turn makes it hard to sign a lease for a commercial store or warehouse.

Read more here.

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Why would these two St. Petersburg entrepreneurs want to open a used bookstore in the Internet age?

By Justine Griffin, Tampa Bay Times, Feb. 17, 2017

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ST. PETERSBURG —The age of Amazon and online shopping has left a litany of retail casualties in its wake.

Bookstores in particular have been hit hard by online marketplaces where shoppers can virtually find any book they want and have it shipped to their home with just a few clicks of the mouse.

But that doesn’t deter Tim Russell and Bobby Hauske, who are about to open a used bookstore in Tyrone Square Mall next month.

“We have to live in Amazon’s world,” said Russell, a Florida native and businessman. “They’re putting their competitors out of business so they can open up their own bookstores now.”

Like online bookstore kingpin Amazon, Russell and Hauske are reversing the pattern of most businesses, starting with a thriving online-only business that leads to a brick-and-mortars operation.

The two plan to open 321 Books inside the former Gap store at the mall in St. Petersburg the first week of March. They will stock the shelves they bought from the recently closed Sears department store at Tyrone with 100,000 used books. Hardcover books will sell for $3. Soft covers are $2. Everything else, like CDs, DVDs and audio books, will be priced at $1 each.

Rent isn’t cheap and the price point of their product is low. It might sound like a risky business. But Russell and Hauske are confident given the success they’ve already had selling thousands of used books online.

Read more here. 

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Tampa Bay Times: Walmart stores around Tampa Bay found selling expired products, including baby food

By Justine Griffin for the Tampa Bay Times.

walmart

First came the irritation when Deneen Wyman discovered she had bought expired baby formula at an area Walmart store on Sunday. Then came the added insult when she sought a refund and was sold yet another baby formula that had been outdated since May.

It wasn’t an isolated incident.

Read more in the Tampa Bay Times here.

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And the follow up story: 

Shoppers in St. Petersburg took to Facebook to express their outrage over finding expired baby formula and other goods at a local Walmart three weeks ago. The post quickly went viral.

The Tampa Bay Times wrote a front page story about it and a local television station covered it.

At the time, Walmart said employees were working fast to fix the problem. They pledged to do better.

For the next three weeks, Tampa Bay Times reporters browsed the aisles of Walmart stores around Tampa Bay looking for more expired goods. We continued to find expired baby formula, sour cream, baby food, supplements and prenatal vitamins at Walmart Supercenters and Walmart Neighborhood Market stores in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties despite the media coverage that revealed the problem at local stores. Dozens of Times readers also wrote and called in with stories and photos about buying expired goods from Walmart stores in Brandon, Brooksville, Wimauma, Clearwater, Ruskin, Sebring and elsewhere.

Read more in the Tampa Bay Times here.