PAYING A PREMIUM
As part of a broader survey, DLA Piper asked 274 respondents which of the following factors were driving public-to-private deals in real estate with rank 1 being the highest.
| RESPONSES | RANK 1 | RANK 2 | RANK 3 | RANK 4 | RANK 5 | RANK 6 | WEIGHTED RANK (SCORE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private equity funds willing to pay a premium | 107 | 59 | 36 | 15 | 28 | 14 | 1 (1196) |
| Cheap rates in the debt market | 51 | 63 | 57 | 36 | 30 | 23 | 2 (1040) |
| Public markets undervaluing REITs | 43 | 47 | 42 | 35 | 51 | 39 | 3 (907) |
| Regulatory hurdles and administrative costs associated with being a public REIT | 26 | 41 | 35 | 49 | 50 | 57 | 4 (805) |
| Ease and speed of completing transactions as a private company | 15 | 25 | 51 | 73 | 55 | 40 | 5 (788) |
| Increased demand for real estate exposure to diverse portfolios | 19 | 29 | 38 | 51 | 41 | 81 | 6 (727) |
| (Did not answer) | 11 | ||||||
| Total Responses | 274 | ||||||
| Source: DLA Piper | |||||||
GAS PAINS
The National Retail Federation's 2007 Gas Prices Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, found that nearly three-fourths of consumers are concerned about high gas prices and how they've impacted spending habits.
Consumers who believe fluctuating gas prices have impacted their spending habits:
74.2%
Shoppers looking for more sales:
30.7%
Respondents who have cut back on vacation:
32.6%
Respondents taking fewer shopping trips:
40.2%
Consumers shopping closer to home:
37.9%
Dining out less:
31.1%
How high will gas per gallon prices be by Father's Day? The average consumer says:
$3.32
Spending less on clothing:
24.1%
Delayed major purchases:
20.1%
Source: National Retail Federation
BLOCKBUSTER SUMMER
A remarkable May saw three of the four most successful movie openings of all time. A trio of third entries in successful franchises — Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End — each raked in openings of greater than $100 million. That has the second quarter of 2007 poised to be the best ever for the theater industry.
| Opening | Total Gross | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spider-Man 3 | $148.00 | $414.40* | 5/4/07 |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | 135.6 | 423.3 | 7/7/06 |
| Shrek the Third | 121.6 | 352.8* | 5/18/07 |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | 115.1 | 359.6* | 5/25/07 |
| Spider-Man | 114.8 | 403.7 | 5/3/02 |
| Star Wars: Episode III | 108.4 | 380.3 | 5/19/05 |
| Shrek 2 | 108.0 | 441.2 | 5/19/04 |
| X-Men: The Last Stand | 102.8 | 234.4 | 5/26/06 |
| Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | 102.7 | 290.0 | 11/18/05 |
| Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | 93.7 | 249.5 | 6/4/04 |
| The Matrix Reloaded | 91.8 | 281.6 | 5/15/03 |
| Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone | 90.3 | 317.6 | 11/16/02 |
| Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | 88.4 | 262.0 | 11/15/02 |
| Spider-Man 2 | 88.2 | 373.6 | 6/30/04 |
| X2: X-Men United | 85.6 | 214.9 | 5/2/03 |
| The Passion of the Christ | 83.8 | 370.3 | 2/25/04 |
| Star Wars: Episode II | 80.0 | 302.2 | 5/16/02 |
| The Da Vinci Code | 77.1 | 217.5 | 5/19/06 |
| Austin Powers in Goldmember | 73.1 | 213.3 | 7/26/02 |
| The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | 72.6 | 377.0 | 12/17/03 |
| *Projected | Source: Box Office Mojo, Webush Morgan Securities | ||
SERVICE WITH A SMILEY FACE
ForeSee Results conducts a biannual study (spring and holiday season) of customer satisfaction with the top retailers by sales volume as determined by Internet Retailer. This year, the firm expanded its research from the Top 40 to the Top 100 online retailers. Here we list the top 25, according to the survey, as measured by the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index.
| Website | Satisfaction Spring 2007 | Satisfaction Spring 2006 | % Change Spring '06-'07 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix.com | 85 | 85 | 0.00% |
| QVC.com | 85 | 82 | 3.70% |
| Amazon.com | 83 | 83 | 0.00% |
| BN.com | 82 | 78 | 5.10% |
| DrsFosterSmith.com | 81 | N/A | N/A |
| AmericanGirl.com | 79 | N/A | N/A |
| MarketDay.com | 79 | N/A | N/A |
| LLBean.com | 79 | 80 | -1.30% |
| HSN.com | 79 | 78 | 1.30% |
| TigerDirect.com | 79 | 78 | 1.30% |
| Zappos.com | 79 | 78 | 1.30% |
| Apple.com | 79 | 77 | 2.60% |
| Cabelas.com | 78 | N/A | N/A |
| MusiciansFriend.com | 78 | N/A | N/A |
| OrientalTrading.com | 78 | N/A | N/A |
| Schwans.com | 78 | N/A | N/A |
| Newegg.com | 78 | 82 | -4.90% |
| Avon.com | 78 | 76 | 2.60% |
| Dell.com | 78 | 76 | 2.60% |
| Blockbuster.com | 77 | N/A | N/A |
| Shutterfly.com | 77 | N/A | N/A |
| VictoriasSecret.com | 77 | N/A | N/A |
| Quixtar.com | 77 | 78 | -1.30% |
| BassPro.com | 76 | N/A | N/A |
| Crutchfield.com | 76 | N/A | N/A |
| Source: ForeSee Results | |||