The best of Kimco’s blog in 2012

It’s always hard to believe another year has come and gone, and when we look back over 2012, it’s even harder to believe we’ve been blogging for over a year already. We’re about 14 months in, with 106 articles published (87 of them in 2012), and 37 Kimco associates now blogging.

Even though we’ve been at it for a year, we’re more excited than ever to bring you interesting and informative posts. We’ve been paying close attention to what you like to see the most, and have aimed to provide not only more of that content, but also publish it in interesting ways: articles, podcasts, videos, photos, and the latest fun addition, cartoons.

But that’s just scratching the surface. Since we’re in “year-in-review” mode, here’s a look back at the five most read posts on Kimco’s blog in 2012.

Top posts of 2012

1. 12 retail real estate trends to watch in 2012. Our COO Mike Pappagallo discussed 12 trends he saw shaping the market in 2012. Later in the year, Mike posted an update on his thoughts.

2. 7 capital market trends to watch in 2012. We also put the microscope on the capital markets. Kimco CFO and Treasurer Glenn Cohen wrote about the trends he thought were most crucial in the capital markets arena entering 2012. Glenn revisited those perspectives in a mid-year capital markets update.

3. The economics of CrossFit: Paying premium prices to be in pain. Clearly this post was not painful to read! Jim Bruin, Kimco’s Managing Director of Portfolio Management, discussed some of the economic pros and cons of running a CrossFit gym.

4. Chile’s new Sodimac home improvement store continues to break ground underground. Sodimac opened its latest store underground at our Espacio Urbano Viña Centro shopping center in Chile. Gonzalo Castro, our Director of Investment for South America, shared photos from the grand opening and discussed the underground shopping trend.

5. Dry cleaning conversions: How Kimco is helping dry cleaners replace perc with environmentally safe alternatives. Scott Gerber, our Senior Real Estate Counsel, penned details on our dry cleaning conversion program. Later in the year, Scott shared information on one cleaning alternative in particular, wet cleaning.

Tribute to our tenants

One of our most important initiatives on our blog has been to showcase all the great things our tenants are doing at our shopping centers and in our communities. We’ve featured 18 tenants on our blog since launch.

• Nordstrom Rack held its grand opening in our West Farms shopping center in Farmington, Conn., marking the first Nordstrom Rack in the state.

• Comic Book Hideout held its grand opening at our Fullerton Town Center in Fullerton, Calif. The comic book store is one of our first KEYS (Kimco Entrepreneurs Year Start) tenants.

• The Saint James, a new American bistro restaurant, opened in our Suburban Square center in Ardmore, Pa.

• Elizabeth Johns, a high-end bridal shop, also opened in Suburban Square.

• lululemon, a national athletic apparel store, opened in Suburban Square as well.

• The Ardmore Farmers Market in Suburban Square held its Spring Social event, which celebrated the market’s 16 food and drink merchants.

• Clotheshorse Anonymous, located in our Preston Forest Village shopping center in Dallas, talked about its approach to designer consignment in a podcast interview.

• Sport Clips, located in our Independence Plaza shopping center in Selden, N.Y., shared advice on marketing and advertising a sports-themed franchise.

• Moolala, the self-serve frozen yogurt shop in our Merrick Commons shopping center in Merrick, N.Y., shared insights into latest trends in its industry.

• Cupcake shop Nadia Cakes held its grand opening at our Arbor Lake shopping center in Maple Grove, Minn. We also talked to the “Cupcake Wars” winner about how it capitalizes on Valentine’s Day.

• XFINITY came together with Bravo and Kimco to hold Bravo’s Top Chef Tour outside the XFINITY location at our Pavilions Centre in Federal Way, Wash.

• The Doggie Bag, located in our Country Gables shopping center in Granite Bay, Calif., told us about how it is driving foot traffic during the holiday shopping season. The dog accessories shop also told us about the results of its Small Business Saturday.

• Clothing boutique Une Minette, located in our Wilton River Park shopping center in Wilton, Conn., shared how its Small Business Saturday went.

• SouthWest Bicycles, in our North Valley Shopping Center in Peoria, Az., participated in the Trek Women Breast Cancer Awareness ride.

• Spirit Halloween, which located 30 of its stores at Kimco centers nationwide this past Halloween, clued us into the life cycle of a pop-up store.

• Gold Star Adjusters helped organize the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Mandarin Chili Cook-Off at our Riverplace Shopping Center in Jacksonville, Fla.

• Anna’s Linens held its most successful grand opening in its history at our Plaza Centro mall in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

• Gators Dockside bar, located in our Grand Oaks Village shopping center in Orlando, played host to President Obama during his 2012 presidential campaign tour.

We have many more tenants lined up in 2013, and we’re looking forward to sharing their stories.

Thank you to everyone who has participated on our blog. If you’re a tenant that would like to be featured, feel free to contact us. Or, if you’re a member of the industry and would like to guest blog on a topic you think would be of interest to our audience, please contact us as well.

Tell us what you would like to see featured on our blog in 2013. We look forward to your feedback.