Blog Posts: Retail Law Advisor
Visit the Full BlogThis blog keeps you connected to timely developments and emerging issues in retail law and covers a wide range of topics related to the retail, restaurant and consumer industry. We invite you to learn more about Goulston & Storrs and our Retail, Restaurant & Consumer Group.
New York City Vaccine Mandate for Certain Indoor Activities
In early August 2021, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the Key to NYC , which requires patrons of indoor dining, indoor fitness and indoor entertainment to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Employees at such establishments must also be vaccinated. There is no exception to this vaccination mandate...
Considerations for Converting Dark Stores to Industrial
Recorded by JLL
Watch the recording here. Goulston & Storrs real estate attorney, David Rabinowitz was featured in a live podcast, "Considerations for Converting Dark Stores to Industrial". This was part of JLL's Where We Buy podcast series, which focuses on the latest topics affecting retail and industrial real estate as product and distribution become one...
As States Lift Restrictions, Retailers are Trapped on the ‘Leading Edge’
The avalanche began in an unlikely setting, for avalanches at least: Chesapeake Energy Arena, home to the National Basketball Association’s Oklahoma City Thunder, where the home team was set to play the Utah Jazz on the evening of March 11, 2020. That game was canceled minutes before tipoff upon...
The 2019 ICSC New York Deal Making Conference and The Ever-Evolving Retail Scene
The ICSC New York Deal Making Conference (“NYDM”) was held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center from December 10-12 and had more than 9,600 registered attendees. This year, ICSC offered much more content than at prior NYDM conferences. Over the course of 3 days, there were a total of...
Technology Shifts the Retail Landscape for Open Air Centers
ICSC's OAC Summit 2019
I just returned from ICSC's OAC Summit, which was held in Austin last week. For those how have not yet attended this conference, the OAC is not a deal making conference like many other ICSC conferences. Rather, the OAC is a relationship building and information sharing event, attended largely by...
The 2018 ICSC New York Deal Making Conference and The Emergence of Digital
The ICSC New York Deal Making Conference (“NYDMC”) was held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center from December 4 – 6. NYDMC is ICSC’s second largest conference, with about 10,000 in attendance this year. The conference kicked off with Professional Development Day. One highlight was the Hidden Biases of...
Three Trends Driving Consumer Behavior in the Retail Real Estate Business
Goulston & Storrs partners Nancy Davids, Matt Epstein, Karen O’Malley and David Rabinowitz recently sat down with Forbes to discuss how changes in consumer behavior continue to drive evolution in the retail real estate business. The group identified three key trends through a collaborative discussion with Forbes contributor Richard Kestenbaum...
Settlement Opens Door For Outer Borough Outlet Centers
In August 2017, Simon Property Group (“SPG”) and the Office of the Attorney General of the State of New York (“NYAG”) entered into an Assurance of Discontinuance (the “Settlement”) regarding alleged anti-competitive effects of radius restrictions used by SPG in leases at the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets (“Woodbury Commons&rdquo...
ICSC New York Deal Making (2017)
On December 6-7, the Javits Center played host to this years’ ICSC NY Deal Making Conference. ICSC featured a new format at this years’ Conference. In addition to the deal making opportunities on Wednesday and Thursday, ICSC partnered with retailers and leading real estate companies to present several hour...
Cannes Brick and Mortar Retail in the United States Make a Comeback?
2017 MAPIC Conference in Cannes, France Last week, a contingent from Goulston & Storrs attended the annual MAPIC conference in Cannes (pronounced “Can”), France for the seventh consecutive year. We expected to field questions about the challenges facing brick and mortar retailers in the United States as well as...
Gearing Up for MAPIC 2017
Our Retail Group is once again getting ready for the annual MAPIC Conference (le marché international professionnel de l’implantation commerciale et de la distribution)! For the 7th year in a row, our team is traveling to Cannes, France for the largest annual gathering of European retailers, brokers and developers...
A Nation of Shopkeepers
David Rabinowitz and Matt Epstein who, with Nancy Davids , co-chair Goulston’s Retail, Restaurant and Consumer Group , spent some time in London last month surveying the retail landscape. There are both similarities and differences between the US and UK markets. Of course, the impact of ecommerce on bricks and...
ICSC RECon 2017 – ICSC RECon Continues to Draw the Crowds
ICSC RECon 2017 was held last week from May 21-24 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This year, the conference lived up to its billing as the “World’s Largest Retail Real Estate Convention” with an estimated crowd of 37,000. This represents about a 2.7% increase over last year and...
The Future of Urban Retail: A Business Real Estate Roundtable
As the competitive retail marketplace continues to shape itself, we take an active role monitoring trends and uncovering the legal ramifications. This week, we are pleased to share Crain's New York Business Real Estate Roundtable. In this piece, the discussion centers on The Future of Urban Retail. Our partner...
To Tax or Not to Tax Internet Retailers, that is the Question
Since the dawn of the age of e-commerce, brick-and-mortar retailers have championed “the level playing field”. Their battle cry: Internet retailers should be subject to sales tax just like us! This disparity is largely the result of a 1992 US Supreme Court decision, Quill Corp. v. North Dakota...
End Of An Era Or Simply a Moment In Time?
What conclusions can we draw from the increasing vacancy rates in prime NYC retail real estate ? A momentary blip? Something we’ve seen many times before, only to be followed by the inevitable climb in rents to their customary stratospheric levels? Analysts claim that rents in the retail sweet...
When in Rome: Our Take on the ICSC OAC (Open Air Summit)
We know from our high school history lessons that large scale public shopping centers have been around since the days of the Roman Empire, if not before. The fabled open air markets of cities like Istanbul and Damascus still exist today and are often the backdrop of our favorite...
A Tale of Two Conventions: MAPIC and ICSC New York
Autumn has been a busy time for our Retail, Restaurant and Consumer team , with our attendance at two major industry events each attracting thousands of attendees. Interestingly, both events recorded their largest attendance numbers to date, and given Brexit and the results of the U.S. presidential election there...
To Brexit or Not to Brexit? Our Observations on UK Retail
Our Retail team just returned from a week in London where we met with the firm’s UK-based retail clients and other retail industry professionals. The biggest topic of conversation centered around Brexit. On June 23rd, Britain will hold an historic referendum on whether the country will leave the European...
ICSC 2015 National Deal Making – Bigger, Better And Back At The Javits Center
This is the second year that the New York ICSC has been held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center , and no one is pining for the old venue. Attendance was up, perhaps breaking 10,000, which would be an all time record. The mood of the crowd was...
Report from MAPIC 2015: US Expansion Still Hot Topic
The Goulston & Storrs’ MAPIC team has returned from the 21st annual MAPIC (le marché international professionnel de l’implantation commerciale et de la distribution) conference in Cannes, France. From November 16-18, MAPIC hosted its international retail conference at the Palais de Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes. Approximately 8,000...
Let Freedom Ring!
Goulston & Storrs has a long and proud tradition of supporting diversity. It’s not just a theoretical goal; we believe diversity helps us recognize and appreciate alternate viewpoints which ultimately improves our firm and our ability to serve our clients. Two years ago we spoke in support of the...
Retailing and Technology: Once an Afterthought, Now a Brave New World
There is a continued debate over brick-and-mortar and e-commerce driving innovation in the retail industry. Ultimately, technology enhances a shopper’s experience but does not necessarily replace it. Much has been discussed about the success of retailers who embrace the omni channel experience. Whether it be e-retailers such as Bonobos or Warby...