On trademall time

FROM TALKING TRASH CANS to digital surveillance systems, the 2002 Trade Exposition Hall in Las Vegas will host a bevy of veteran exhibitors, as well as newcomers. “We are very excited to make our debut this year as one of the few, if not only, decorative architectural fountain companies exhibiting at ICSC this year,” says Jon Mitovich, president and general manager of Albuquerque, N.M.-based Roman Fountains Corp. Roman Fountains is a leading designer and supplier of decorative fountain products and systems for the U.S. construction market.

Knoxville, Tenn.-based SSC Service Solutions has been attending the ICSC Convention for 12 years. “It's a great place for meeting new clients and seeing old friends and existing clients,” says Mike Gonzalez, SSC senior marketing manager.

The ICSC Convention is an important trade show because of the number of decision makers that attend, notes Craig White, president of Sheboygan, Wis.-based Priority Sign Inc. The 27th annual ICSC Convention is expected to draw 28,000 attendees. “We value the Trade Expo as a means to get our name more recognized throughout the industry,” White says. Priority Sign will be making its fourth appearance at the ICSC Trade Expo.

The ICSC is expecting a sold out Trade Expo with an estimated 320 exhibitors on the show floor. “The show provides an excellent opportunity for these service providers to be seen, and also to see the major players of the shopping center industry all in one geographic area,” says Greg Jira, ICSC's manager of trade expositions. “There is really no other show in North America that provides such a concentrated focus on the owner/developer and retailer side of the shopping center industry.”

Architecture

One of this year's hot topics at the Trade Expo will be the latest in retail design trends. “In past years, we saw a lot of tech driven vendors. Now we're seeing architecture and construction firms coming back to the exhibit floor,” Jira says.

Why the renewed emphasis on architecture? Because open-air lifestyle centers continue to influence shopping center design. “Lifestyle centers are a key element to building a sense of community in the area and surrounding areas,” says David Parrish, a partner at Cleveland-based Dorsky, Hodgson + Partners. “A lot of residential suburbs lack that central business district. The lifestyle center really provides that component,” Parrish says.

Dorsky, Hodgson + Partners is designing the 620,000-sq.-ft. Legacy Village in Lyndhurst, Ohio. “The objective is to establish a town center in Lyndhurst that will have the look and feel of a downtown that has always been there,” Parrish says. The lifestyle center features tenants such as Galyan's Trading Company, Crate & Barrel and Cheesecake Factory among others. The project also includes 30,000 sq. ft. of office space. Legacy is in the design phase, and is tentatively scheduled for a fall 2003 opening.

“The trend in our work is more outdoor lifestyle centers,” says Larry Beame, president of Beame Architectural Partnership in Coral Gables, Fla. Beame Architectural recently started design work on a new lifestyle center in south Florida that features an equestrian theme. The project, which is in the early design stage, will feature about 1 million sq. ft. of retail space, as well as a hotel and waterfront restaurants.

Lifestyle centers are attracting a unique mix of anchor tenants. The Village of San Hill in Columbia, S.C., for example, features a library as one of its key tenants, Beame notes. The firm is designing the retail component of the mixed-use project, which also features a residential and office complex. It is in the design phase and is expected to start construction this year.

Technology

The shopping center industry continues to explore the latest technologies running the gamut from software to signage. “We have seen a pronounced level of interest in IT,” says John Scott, executive vice president of product distribution at New York-based The REALM. Due to crises such as the Kmart bankruptcy, shopping center owners are placing more emphasis on their ability to forecast performance, he adds.

Tech solutions focus on the synthesis between software programs and applications. “We are looking to bring integration efficiency into the real estate industry,” Scott notes. In June, The REALM products including Dyna, Argus and REALMBudget will all be able to share data. “We have created a standard to seamlessly move data between the applications,” Scott says.

Argus is a software application that is used in transactions such as the purchase and sale of properties, while Dyna is more of a management tool. The ability to move data between applications will enable everyone on the team to view the same information without having to re-enter data manually. Argus 10.0 was released at the end of March and is equipped with the necessary integration capabilities. The integration will be complete with the launch of Dyna 11.0 and REALMBudget in June.

The REALM will be exhibiting its REALMPay application at the Trade Exposition, which was scheduled to be released in April of this year. REALMPay provides the ability to process invoices electronically. “It dramatically reduces the costs of processing an invoice,” Scott notes.

Greenville, S.C.-based RealtiCorp Commercial Investments plans to introduce its newly redesigned website at the ICSC Trade Expo. The website at www.realticorp.com will officially launch May 1.

The website features an updated design, as well as improved navigation. RealtiCorp also added a property search function that allows users to look up information on nearly 150 RealtiCorp properties. A second phase of the redesigned website will debut in fall 2002. RealtiCorp plans to add a strategic partner resource center. “People working with us can use the resource center to get up-to-date information concerning their transaction,” says Kimberly Bruce, director of marketing for RealtiCorp.

Technical advances also are benefitting the signage industry. Advances in digital printing enables professionals to create a whole new look and style within the signage arena.

Although digital printing has been around for about five years, new inks introduced in the past six months are revolutionizing digital printing capabilities. “What is new this year is that better inks are available so banners will last longer,” says Mike Aurigemma, co-owner of Seattle-based High Flying Banners.

The two types of digital printing methods involve die supplementation and ink jet printing. Both methods enable printers to create more complicated banner designs, because they can put full four-color images, including photos, on a banner.

“I think customers are looking for more custom solutions to their banner needs,” Aurigemma says. High Flying Banners has the ability to do original design, as well as translate client designs into banners. High Flying Banners also will unveil its newest catalog at the Trade Expo, which features approximately 100 designs for sewn appliqué banners.

Marketing & Merchandising

Landlords now have a more efficient alternative to building barricades to cover storefront renovations or closings. Typically, shopping center owners use drywall to cover vacant storefronts or remodeling work. However, Trade Expo. newcomer Alusett Top Deck Systems offers a more efficient alternative with its MallForms line of products.

The MallForms line features a modular system that can be set up and taken down and re-used for other projects. “Over the long term it is more cost-effective than drywall,” says Magda O'Hanlon, a vice president at Alusett Top Deck Systems in Detroit, Mich. The aluminum framing systems feature panels that come in a variety of colors. The systems also come with doors or other accessories such as showcases that can be rented out to other merchants for product promotions or advertising. “So there is the opportunity for the mall to make some money while a store is closed,” O'Hanlon says.

MallForms also offers a simple solution to temporary in-line stores with a modular in-line store system. The modular unit can be installed with walls, shelving and counter tops in place for a complete store set-up.

In addition, Alusett will be showcasing its MallForms retail merchandising units (RMUs). The contemporary units feature an aluminum finish. A key element in the modular units is the flexibility to modify and expand. The units can be altered to meet individual user needs, such as adding more counter space or reducing the number of drawers.

New design trends in RMUs reflect softer curves and less bulk. Creations at Dallas will be promoting its new two-pole RMU at the ICSC Trade Expo. The new 2900 model is approximately 4.5-ft.-by-8-ft. and features two poles supporting a top compared to the typical four-pole construction. “It is very open, so merchandise can be seen very easily,” says Sharon Loeff, director of sales and marketing, Creations at Dallas.

The design for the 2900 originated after a major developer client requested “something different,” Loeff notes. The goal was to create a unit that would be very visible as you approached it, yet with minimal upper structure so that it would not obscure sight lines, she adds. The more products a customer can see, the more time they are likely to spend at the kiosk or unit.

Understanding what makes key demographic groups tick — and spend — is a burning question for the shopping center industry. American Demographics magazine is helping to unravel those mysteries by reporting on consumer trends. “We combine valuable information with statistical charts and graphs” notes Greta Libbey, marketing manager for American Demographics magazine, a Primedia publication. American Demographics features a variety of spending habit reports on topics ranging from foreign travel dollars to gift giving.

In July, a feature on “East Meets West” addresses the nuances of Asian-Americans, what they are buying, where they live, and offers suggestions to reach this key demographic group.

Security & Maintenance

Security and safety provisions are a top concern after the events of 9/11. “Sept. 11 has resulted in greater awareness of security programs,” says Kenneth W. Hamilton, executive vice president at IPC International Corp. in Bannockburn, Ill.

Shopping centers are not necessarily doing anything different, but they do want to make sure they are prepared if incidents do occur, Hamilton notes.

IPC International is marketing a Critical Situation Response Kit to help shopping centers respond to a variety of incidents ranging from unidentified substance spills to accidents. The kit contains several hundred different items that are housed in a large, roll-around container that can be managed by a single person.

The kit is designed to handle “first response” situations created by incidents such as severe weather, biohazard spills, power outage, criminal activity and terrorist acts. The container contains a variety of items ranging from a weather radio and electronic circuit tester to protective suits and first aid supplies.

After Sept. 11, landlords have been responding to more cases of suspicious substances. Shopping centers need to proceed with clean-up without putting employees or the general public at risk. “So we put together a kit of response materials to send out to shopping centers, and from that concept we built this entire kit,” Hamilton says.

The shopping center industry is keeping a close eye on its properties, and digital video recording is the latest trend in surveillance equipment. “The technology has been greatly improved since its inception a few years ago,” says Jeff Groat, national accounts sales engineering for Youngstown, Ohio-based Roth Bros. Inc.

Roth Bros. will be showcasing two new digital video recording products at the ICSC Trade Expo. including the Andover Controls Express DVR and IONIT Technologies DVR unit. Digital Video Recorders offer a variety of advantages over the traditional time-lapse tapes including better image quality with a greater number of frames per second. The IONIT product, for example, is an industry leader.

The IONIT 16-channel unit produces 7.5- to 10-frames per second per camera compared to time-lapse units that produce about 3.5- to 4.5-frames per second, Groat says.

Another advantage of DVRs is that images are stored on a computer hard drive. As a result, storage is efficient and the video can be easily accessed. A search for an incident occurring at a particular time can be done within minutes, and the image can be emailed.

One of the most notable features is that the DVR system has remote viewing features, so a user can log on from anywhere in the world and view live video or access archived images, Groat says. “The cost also has come down dramatically over the last couple of years, making it more cost effective to apply,” he adds.

Patrons will soon be finding a revolutionary maintenance product in an unexpected place. After lunch at the local food court, customers will discover a little help in trash disposal from a hands-free, talking garbage can. Compressario Corp. will be showcasing its modified Enviro-Packer 100 at the ICSC Trade Expo.

The automatic compacting, talking, hands-free waste receptacle is used primarily in food courts. The unit opens automatically when someone approaches, and the door remains open while trash is deposited. And while trash is being deposited, the unit delivers recorded messages ranging from “thanks for shopping” to advertisements for upcoming mall events. In addition, a sensor watches as waste builds up, and when garbage reaches a certain level, the unit automatically compacts the trash.

On average, the units compact trash about 25 times per day, notes Charlotte May, president of Newmarket, Ontario-based Compressario Corp. The feature reduces the need to constantly change bins, as well as eliminating potential overflow. The unit was first launched in 2000. Modifications this year include a weight monitor and an expanded menu of talking messages.

Building Products & Services

The Trade Expo. is showcasing a variety of building products and services ranging from floor coverings to lighting. New this year at Pegnato & Pegnato Building System Services is an expanded service network offering a larger menu of services.

Pegnato & Pegnato is traditionally known for its roofing repair and maintenance, as well as HVAC service and parking lot repair, maintenance and striping. Now the firm has added general handyman work to its list of services. Pegnato & Pegnato representatives provide a variety of handyman services ranging from touching up paint to fixing doors and windows.

“We won't sweep the floor or fix your computer, but we do almost everything in between,” says Maryella Pegnato, president and COO of Pegnato & Pegnato in Marina del Rey, Calif.

The firm now has 150 technicians serving the United States and Puerto Rico — 40 of who were added just this past year.

Innovative flooring options include two new products released by Los Angeles-based L. M. Scofield Co. The Scofield Texture Top was introduced in March.

The floor topping comes in two different grades — a stencil grade and a stamp grade that can be imprinted. The resurfacing material can be used to put a new layer on existing concrete and then decorated.

The product can be used for both interior and exterior use for resurfacing and texturing. “It is highly durable for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic,” says Sherry White, marketing director at Los Angeles-based L. M. Scofield Co.

The decorative Scofield Texture Top comes in several colors, and it also has an abrasion resistant surface that wears well and has excellent resistance to moisture and freeze-thaw affects. “You can take ugly cracked concrete, and put this thin layer from a feather edge to 3/4 inch,” White says. The thin application can be stenciled, while the thicker 3/4 inch application can be imprinted to create a textured flooring.

L.M. Scofield also will unveil its new Scofield Overlay Express at the Trade Expo. The self-leveling topping is for interior use only. The key feature of this product is rapid curing. “You can have a whole new floor in four hours,” White says. The flooring is ready for staining and graphics after just four hours, and an elaborate floor design can be completed in about 12 hours compared to processes that in the past required three days, White notes.

Developers and owners looking for exterior lighting products will discover a variety of new options on the market.

Fort Worth, Texas-based WLS Lighting Systems will be promoting a variety of new and unique area lighting products at the ICSC Trade Expo. Decorative fixtures and poles feature new paint finishes such as a unique copper color.

WLS also is introducing a new 1000-watt decorative outdoor fixture. Typically, decorative fixtures for exterior use limit wattage to 400 watts. WLS has created a different style fixture that allows for the higher wattage.

The new product opens up new opportunities for shopping center owners to incorporate decorative fixtures in area lighting.

“We have had several occasions where the client wanted something that was more decorative in nature, but due to the smaller wattage it blew the budget because too many poles and too many fixtures were needed to achieve the same amount of lighting,” says Steve Vardeman, vice president of WLS Lighting Systems.

From lighting to lifestyle centers, the 2002 Trade Expo. promises to present another year of innovation in products and industry trends. The Trade Expo. will be open Sunday, May 19th through Wednesday, May 22.

Know where to find what

THE TRADEMALL EXPOSITION, the Leasing Mall and the Design Trends Exhibit will share the spotlight at this year's ICSC Convention in Las Vegas.

For newcomers, differentiating between the three can prove confusing. So to help clear things up a bit, SCW spoke with Greg Jira, manager of trade expositions, ICSC, to explain the differences between the exhibits once and for all.

The Trade Exposition is an exhibit area open to ICSC member and non-member companies whose primary function is to offer products and/or services to the shopping center industry. Exhibit categories include:

Accounting/Financial Services & Software
Advertising/Marketing/Public Relations Firms
Architectural/Engineering/Construction Firms
Computer Software (inc. demographics)/Market Analysis/Prospecting
Graphic & Interior Design
Decorations/Seasonal Décor
Signage
Flooring/Masonry Products
Elevators/Escalator Sales & Service
Fountains/Statues/Sculptures
HVAC/Lighting/Energy Management Systems & Utilities
Roofing Contractors & Materials
Security Services & Equipment
Furnishings/Equipment & Supplies
Landscaping Services

The Leasing Mall is another exhibit area open to ICSC member companies only whose primary function is the leasing of retail space.

Exhibitors include:

Shopping Center Owners/Developers
Retailers
Municipalities
Brokers
Financial Institutions

The Design Trends Exhibit provides a visual showcase where shopping center owners, developers, architects and designers can display their design concepts for retail and shopping venues. Prominently displayed in the lobby of the convention center, Design Trends will provide participants maximum exposure to over 28,000 attendees.

2002 LIST OF EXHIBITORS

Alusett Top Deck Systems Inc./MallForms
Booth #574
44753 Centre Court
Clinton Township, Mich. 48038
(P) 1.800.434.0444 or 586.263.1550
(F) 586.263.1554
[email protected]
www.mallforms.com

Alusett Top Deck Systems produces the MallForms product line of mall barricades, RMU's, kiosks, temporary in-line stores, showrooms and showcases. Designs are based on a contemporary aluminum framework with complete flexibility. The construction technique uses modular components that can be reused or added onto at a cost effective price. MallForms products provide revenue generating opportunities for the mall.

American Locker
Security System
608 Allen St.
Jamestown, N.Y. 14701
(P) 1.800.828.9118 or 716.664.9600
(F) 716.664.2949
[email protected]
www.americanlocker.com

The Kary-Kart® system from American Locker Security Systems Inc. offers a desirable alternative to other mall cart systems. The electronically controlled operation gives quick and simple access to the kart. The return/reward provides a strong incentive to return the kart, thus reducing parking lot clutter and keeping the dispensing unit stocked.

American Express Tax and Business Services Inc.
One South Wacker Drive, Suite 800
Chicago, Ill. 60606
(P) 312.634.3400
(F) 312.634.5522
www.axptbschicago.com

American Express Tax and Business Services Inc. is one of the top accounting and consulting firms in the country. Some of the many services provided by our real estate professionals include: lease consulting and administration, due diligence services, NOI verification, cash flow audits, compliance services, income tax related services.

Compressario Corp.
Booth #233
1256B Kerrisdale Blvd.
Newmarket, Ontario L3Y 7VI
(P) 905.898.3133 ext. 103
(F) 905.898.0336
[email protected]
www.compressario.com

Enjoy a dramatic improvement to food court cleanliness, staff morale and customer service while reducing costs by installing the Enviro-Packer 100 (EP100). The EP100 continuously monitors waste and

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