Top Story

• RioCan REIT to sell 14 Canadian properties
  RioCan REIT has put on the market 14 properties in Canada valued at $640 million. The properties are not core for its portfolio. RioCan recently posted an improved profit for the fourth quarter, some of which was due to a higher valuation of its properties. Financial Post (Canada)/The Canadian Press (2/14)

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Industry Tracker

• GGP sells Mall of the Bluffs
  General Growth Properties has sold the Mall of the Bluffs in southwest Iowa for an undisclosed price. Namdar Realty Group acquired the Council Bluffs retail center with an eye toward repositioning it. The Daily Nonpareil (Council Bluffs, Iowa) (2/18)

• Brisbane's Pinelands retail center trades to Asian investor
  An Asian investor has acquired a retail center in Brisbane, Australia, for $28.8 million. A syndicate managed by Federation Centres was the seller of the property, Pinelands shopping center, which also attracted interest from private investors and local syndicators. SNL Financial (free content) (2/13)

• Siam Future Development eyes more retail centers in Thailand
  Siam Future Development Plc plans to develop two or three new retail centers in Thailand over the next five years. The company still sees room in the Bangkok market for community retail development. It is seeking both local and international partners for the projects and is currently in talks with Japan's Aeon Group. Bangkok Post (2/18)

• U.K. developers bet £350 million on bricks and mortar
  The £350 million Trinity Leeds shopping centre will be the only major U.K. retail mall to open this year. The 1-million-square-foot, glass-domed covered mall is already 90% leased to retailers including Primark, Next, M&S and Topshop, and will feature free Wi-Fi, pick-up spots for online orders and plenty of digital screens. "Retail is not just about shopping. It's about taking the best from online, the high street and events venues and bringing it into one place," said marketing manager Paul Smith. The Guardian (London) (2/16)

Retail News

• Retail forecaster feels outlet malls' heat
  Outlet malls were hot in the 1980s, a trend that led to overbuilding and a distinct cooling in the '90s, says retail forecaster Chris Boring. The surviving outlet malls grew stronger and recent economic downturns led to rapidly growing popularity, making outlets hot once more, says Boring, who has dubbed "Outlet Mall Mania" the top hot trend of the year. The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) (2/17)

• Morrisons to expand C-stores in former Blockbuster spots
  UK supermarket chain Morrisons has acquired 49 former Blockbuster stores, with plans to open Morrisons M local convenience stores. The company aims to grow the 12-unit convenience chain to about 70 stores by the end of the year. "The convenience market is growing as more people shop locally and we want to be in a position to take advantage of this," said Managing Director Gordon Mowat. The Guardian (London)/The Press Association (U.K.) (2/17)

• Report: Google to open brick-and-mortar stores
  Google's reported plan to start opening brick-and-mortar stores this year would likely help the tech giant when it comes to selling Chromebooks and other branded hardware, analysts said Friday. Network World/IDG News Service (2/15)

• Target to tailor Canada stores to local tastes
  Target already has plenty of fans in Canada who travel to the U.S. to shop at the chain's stores, but it also has plans to cater specifically to Canadians when it opens its first stores north of the border next month. "If we came up to Canada and didn't offer ketchup-flavored potato chips, then we would have looked like we didn't know what we are doing," said Target Canada President Tony Fisher. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (2/15)

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by ICSC SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Apple to relocate 20 stores to bigger spaces (TechCrunch)

• Bayer starts process to build Lexington retail center (Lexington Herald-Leader (Ky.))

• True professionals avoid these phrases (Forbes)

• Kimco Realty's strong wind after the recession (The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, Mass.))

• Orlando Fashion Square trades for $35M (SNL Financial (free content))

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

	The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) If Kids Can Play, Will Mom Shop? Wall Street Journal Reports on PLAYTIME "Shopping-mall designers see indoor shopping mall playscapes as a way to lure in more shoppers and get them to stay longer," reports the Wall Street Journal. Learn more about PLAYTIME! Download a brochure, or contact David O'Niones (DavidO@Playtime.com, 303-662-0302). More Interested in learning more about advertising with SmartBrief? Click here for detailed industry information and media kits.

Business Best Practices

• Take small steps toward better work-life balance, expert says
  People are often unsuccessful at improving their work-life balance because they try to make big changes and almost always fail, says flexible work strategist Cali Williams Yost. A better strategy is to make small changes in your daily routine. For instance, instead of joining a gym, commit to taking the stairs more at work. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (tiered subscription model) (2/14)

News from ICSC

• 2013 Foundation scholarship opportunities
  The ICSC Foundation is accepting applications for graduate and undergraduate scholarships for real estate and related studies. Selected recipients receive tuition assistance and attendance at RECon, The Global Retail Real Estate Convention, in Las Vegas this May.

SmartQuote

Paradise is here or nowhere: you must take your joy with you or you will never find it." --Orison Swett Marden, American author