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October 12, 2012   Top Story    ICSC Hispanic markets conference highlights Latino strategies Retail strategies that focus on the Latino population, whose spending power is expected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2015, were on display at the International Council of Shopping Centers’ second annual Hispanic Markets National Conference in Los Angeles. Retailers are learning they need to craft different marketing messages for this group, says Jorge Lizan, vice president of business development for ICSC. The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.) (10/8) Retail Properties Available for Auction Online Properties include Shopping Centers, Restaurants, Supermarkets, Showrooms, Malls, and Units in metro plazas. View all retail properties available for auction. Featured Property: Metro Plaza in Phoenix, AZ. Starting Bid: $2,100,000 Starting Bid. 100.00% Occupancy. 40K+ SF, view more property details here.   Industry Tracker  CalPERS becomes full owner of Chicago-area retail center for $500M CalPERS is buying a 50% stake in Woodfield retail center in Schaumburg, Ill., for more than $500 million, sources say. The deal gives it full ownership of the property, valuing it at more than $1 billion. Pensions & Investments (free registration) (10/10) Equity One acquires retail centers in N.Y., Md., Conn. Equity One is acquiring six properties in New York and Maryland for a total of $302.5 million. The REIT has also finalized the acquisition of three properties in Connecticut. The Commercial Observer (New York City) (10/11) Kimco Realty offers free rent in pilot program Kimco Realty is offering free rent to first-time mom-and-pop retailers in a pilot program. The program is being launched in the Bay Area and Southern California. If it works out, it will be launched in other cities. KOVR-TV (West Sacramento, Calif.) (10/10) Rideau Centre to get $255.8M renovation, expansion Cadillac Fairview Corp., which owns Rideau Centre in Ottawa, is planning a $255.8 million renovation and expansion for the retail center. Plans also call for the opening of a Nordstrom outlet at the center. Ottawa Citizen (Ontario) (10/11) Big Shopping Centers expands into Serbia Israeli retail developer Big Shopping Centers has just opened its first retail complex in Serbia. It plans to open 10 open-air shopping centers in the country. Bloomberg Businessweek (10/11) The Mall Group to invest 30 billion baht in new projects Bangkok-based The Mall Group plans to develop four or five new shopping complexes in Thailand in the next decade, investing about 30 billion baht in the projects. Bangkok Post (Thailand) (10/10)   Retail News  Holiday retail hiring expected to be slower this year People are lining up in hopes of securing a temporary retail job for the holidays. This year’s prospects are dimmer: the International Council of Shopping Centers forecasts hiring will only rise 0.4% compared with 0.8% in 2011. Bloomberg (10/10) Container imports forecast to jump sharply in October October container imports are projected to rise 9.9% over last year, according to a projection from the National Retail Federation. "NRF’s annual forecast says retailers should see solid growth during the holiday season this year, and these cargo numbers back it up," said vice president of supply chain and customs policy Jonathan Gold. Home Channel News (10/10)   Business Best Practices  A positive attitude can be contagious, research finds Managers can help workers stay more upbeat on the job by keeping them away from the chronic complainers and exposing them more to those employees who are motivated and energized, research shows. Such energy drainers can influence employees, but being positive also "is a catching disease," says Jon Katzenbach, Booz & Company senior partner. CNNMoney/Fortune (10/10)   News from ICSC  The Business of Shopping Center Law Based on papers presented at recent ICSC Law Conferences, The Business of Shopping Center Law includes commentary from seasoned industry experts and examines some of the most important legal issues facing today's professional. Topics covered include Operating Expenses, Property Acquisition, Capital Infusion, Lease Financing, Construction and Development, Green Leases, Exit Strategies and more. Buy it now in the ICSC bookstore. Learn more about ICSC -> Join ICSC  |  Upcoming Events  |  Regulatory News  |  EconStats  |  Shopping Centers Today   SmartQuote  I never thought much of the courage of a lion tamer. Inside the cage he is at least safe from people." --George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright     Subscriber Tools       Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Advertise National Account Director:  Jim Pataki (212) 450-1682 Download Media Kit   Read more at SmartBrief.com A powerful website for SmartBrief readers including: Industry Home Readers' Choice Search Archive Get this RSS Feed Publish your Press Release Download a SmartBrief Mobile app today       Recent ICSC SmartBrief Issues: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 Monday, October 08, 2012 Friday, October 05, 2012 Wednesday, October 03, 2012 Monday, October 01, 2012     Lead Editor:  Liz DeHoff       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004     © 1999-2012 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information