When it comes to retail innovation, restaurants are where it’s at, panelists said at an SCTLive event called “Tomorrow’s top retailers” at The Grove, in Los Angeles, on Tuesday. “The food category has been at the forefront,” said Frederick Collings, CRX, CSM, CLS, senior vice president of leasing for Irvine, Calif.–based Irvine Co. More new concepts are coming out of the food category than any other, due in part to many consumers’ declining interest in cooking at home, he said. “Dining out offers people a chance to see and be seen that can’t be found online.”
Caruso Affiliated Holdings’ is also adding innovative restaurants to its properties, said Jackie Levy, the firm’s executive vice president of operations. “Our job is to create environments that people come back to, and restaurants play a big part in that.” The Nordstrom store at The Grove recently added a restaurant to keep customers lingering longer, he said.
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