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Talk of the bay

Shopping center developers' wish list has some surprises

By MARK ALBRIGHT
Published May 30, 2005

Shoppers have their favorite specialty stores. Shopping center developers have their own wish lists, too.

However, this year's list of the so-called hottest retailers passes over the ubiquitous chains such as Starbucks and focuses on some of the more picky specialty chains.

Credit the shopping center industry's new-found interest in building smaller-scale Main Street-style projects rather than huge malls.

Indeed, none of the top five chains selected by a survey of 3,000 shopping center management executives this year has more than 200 stores. That's one-fourth as many stores as there are malls in the United States.

The winners in the annual research project of the International Council of Shopping Centers include the Apple Store, Coach and Williams-Sonoma (chief rival of Crate & Barrel).

One of the surprise winners is White House/Black Market, an apparel chain that carries only outfits that are all-black or all-white. The 160-store chain had been turning in just a so-so performance until it was reinvigorated by new owners at Fort Myers-based Chico's FAS.

Another surprise is Steve & Barry's University Sportswear, a chain seen mostly in a factory-outlet mall setting that is best known for a huge variety of el cheapo licensed college logo merchandise. We're talking $3.98 T-shirts and sweatshirts imprinted with school names for less than $10. Steve & Barry's, which runs stores the size of a supermarket, plans to grow from 63 to 130 stores by the end of this year.

Four of the five winning chains have a presence in the Tampa Bay area, but the closest Steve & Barry's is in Festival Bay Mall in Orlando.

[Last modified May 27, 2005, 17:54:02]