Since Bal Harbour Shops, an open-air shopping mall, first opened in the affluent suburb of Miami Beach in 1965, it has attracted luxury retailers from Balmain to Tiffany & Co.

Now, it’s bringing the shopping experience to other cities across the country in the form of pop-ups.

The Access Pop-Up will feature luxury retailers including Frette, Assouline, Bonpoint, Addict, and Santa Maria Novella in a multi-city tour starting in Raleigh, North Carolina, on November 22 and then moving on to Greenville, South Carolina, as well as Tequesta and South Walton County in Florida.

“Built from 30 custom-built shipping containers, the branded pop-up will include covered walkways with fans, a retractable canopy, and a fine dining restaurant called The Whitman that will seat 150 people, with a full bar and lounge,” the brand said in a statement. “The environment will showcase Bal Harbour Shops’s palm-tree motif and garden-like bright green monstera leaf signature design. Koi ponds, fountains, and planters filled with lush greenery, plus piped-in music will help bring the entire tropical, zen-like atmosphere of Bal Harbour Shops to life.”

The luxury event will also have daily activations, “including champagne-filled brunches, coveted holiday shopping experiences and much more,” per the brand via email. The goal is to turn shopping into an “emotional” experience that customers can enjoy with their friends and family, Bal Harbour Shops president and CEO Matthew Whitman Lazenby told Retail Brew.

To unpack all of it, we caught up with Whitman Lazenby to discuss why the company set out on this expedition, the importance of luxury pop-ups, and the future.

Keep reading here.—JS

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For the first time since March, US retail spending dropped in October, dipping 0.1% from September to $705 billion, according to the Commerce Department, but still beat economists’ estimates.

The Labor Department’s October Consumer Price Index released on Tuesday indicated consumer prices remained flat month over month for the first time in more than a year.

Year over year retail sales rose 2.5% from October 2022. Sales at health and personal care stores saw the largest bump both monthly (1.1%) and annually (9.6%). Grocery sales were up 0.7% from September and 0.9% year over year, while foodservice and drinking places saw a 0.3% monthly rise and 8.6% YoY increase. Online sales got a 0.2% boost, up 7.6% year over year. Electronics and appliance stores also saw a 0.6% monthly sales increase, while clothing and clothing accessories store sales were flat month over month.

Furniture retailers saw the largest dip, down 2% from September and -11.8% from last year. General merchandise stores’ sales dropped 0.2% month over month, and department store sales fell 1.2%.

Keep reading here.—EC

As much as sustainability is great for the planet and everything, don’t you sometimes wish you could get credit for your efforts to go green?

Well, online resale platform ThredUp’s new partnership with Rebag, the luxury handbag reseller, will ensure customers literally get credit in exchange for selling their used products online.

Part of Rebag’s Clean Out project (handled by ThredUp’s Resale-as-a-Service program), the initiative will allow users to sell their items on ThredUp and then earn credit to shop on Rebag. The offer can be accessed through both ThredUp and Rebag’s websites.

Keep reading here.—JS