COLUMBIA, SC-Three investors are funding the developer $300 million to build and renovate shopping centers up and down the East Coast.

COLUMBIA, SC-Three investors are funding the developer $300 million to build and renovate shopping centers up and down the East Coast.

<b><i>ICSC DISPATCH: </b></i>CHICAGO-There aren't a lack of retailers rolling out new concepts, ICSC speaker says.

CHICAGO-Whether they are trying to attract an underserved demographic, enter new geographic areas or are even entering the US for the first time, there are plenty of retailers looking to expand throughout the country. Neil Stern, a partner at locally based consulting firm McMillan Doolittle, detailed some of those stores during a speech here at the International Council of Shopping Centers' Fall Conference, which ended Wednesday.

CHICAGO-The timing of the holiday season, and how to react to it, is changing for many retailers, though it remains traditional for others, ICSC speakers say. A changing consumer, advances in technology and the increasing use of gift cards have all impacted how shoppers spend their holiday-gift dollars.

CHICAGO-Developers are finding consumers are willing to pay high prices for condos built above retail.

<b><i>ICSC DISPATCH: </b></i>CHICAGO-The shopping experience can be more important to customers than the products they are buying.

CHICAGO-Sometimes more than what they're buying or paying for a product, customers often care the experience of shopping for a brand, said Chip Bell, founder of the Chip Bell Group consulting firm here at the International Council of Shopping Centers' Fall Conference. "It's about experience, the kind of experience that you make," he says. "It's the experience you create every single day at every single touch point."