I hope this finds you and yours safe and well. Despite the challenges of social distancing, a small amount of retail deal making continued. Meanwhile, venues and companies around the globe are finding ways to serve customers and those in the fight against COVID-19. And let’s all hope that this will lead to a brighter scene when we return to whatever our new normal will be.
Fit & Beautiful
East Meets West, a luxury spa, has taken 1,400 square feet on the ground floor of 222 Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn, near the Fulton Mall and Barclays Center. CrossFit will relocate its East Williamsburg branch from 208 Frost Street to a larger location at 289 Frost Street.
Wining & Dining
Dunkin’ will return to 973 Eighth Avenue after departing in 2015 for the more affordable 308 West 57th Street. The rent situation has now reversed, so back it will go once the city reopens.
Home Sweet Home
Australian building materials company Brickworks will open a flagship design studio at 455 Fifth Avenue (39th Street), reported Commercial Observer. Among the brick-making brands it owns in the United States are Cushwa Brick, Glen-Gery and Sioux City Brick, but it also sells roofing, pavers and building systems, though the studio is geared toward the architectural community.
Virtual Brookfield
With social distancing compelling the cancellation of its community events, Brookfield Place created #BFPLatHome, daily virtual programming featuring its tenants, on the project’s Instagram page. Munchie Mondays launched with Black Seed Bagels showing how it makes its signature treat. That was followed by Trivia Tuesdays with Thinkfast, Wellness Wednesdays (with the first class from Lululemon), Friday Features focusing on previous art installations, Saturday Morning Show with children’s programming and Self-Care Sundays offering beauty and wellness tutorials (Thursdays are dark).
Around the World Trade Center
Across the street from Brookfield, Westfield World Trade Center’s website is offering guides and links to its retailers’ online sales, eateries’ delivery options and virtual offerings, including Gloveworx classes.
Mad for Madison
During the shutdown, the Madison Avenue BID has offered Madison Avenue Now, a page on its website listing discounts and special offers for its member retailers. As of press time, the page is updated daily.
From Restaurants to Grocers
Panera Bread is offering a limited amount of grocery items (such as bread, bagels, milk, Greek yogurt, apples, tomatoes and avocados) for pickup or delivery. Subway also is testing selling grocery items including bagged lettuce, deli meats, vegetables and soups at locations in Southern California, according to Supermarket News. Items can be delivered (in approximately half of the locations) or picked up curbside. The movement is international — McDonald’s Australia and McCopCo restaurants have added milk, bread, English muffins and other staples to their menus for takeout or drive-through purchases.
Around the Nation
H-E-B, which has more than 400 supermarkets in Texas and Mexico, shuttered many of its in-store restaurants in response to the pandemic. Instead, select stores have partnered with local restaurants to offer ready-made meals. All proceeds will go directly to the restaurants. Partnerships include Max & Louie’s New York Diner (famed for its matzo ball soup) in San Antonio and steakhouse Cherry Block and Underbelly Hospitality in Houston.
Around the Globe
British supermarket company Tesco opened a series of dedicated NHS Nightingale Hospital pop-up stores to serve National Health Service workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The stores are open 24 hours to provide NHS staff with access to food and household products. The first location opened in Birmingham, and as of press time, Tesco was negotiating with other locations.
Giving Back
Stop & Shop launched a program to supply hospitals in New York and Boston with 5,000 donated meals daily. Meals for healthcare professionals and first responders include sandwiches, salads and entrees. Sweetgreen is offering free lunches to health care workers in Los Angeles and San Francisco, while Starbucks is giving a free hot or tall iced coffee to health care workers and first responders.
Joann Fabrics opened select classrooms to people willing to make face masks, gowns and other items to donate to hospitals (social distancing applied). The retailer provided and donated all of the supplies to make the items. The company also posted tutorials on how to make the items, and open locations serve as collection points. Sustainable footwear company Allbirds donated $500,000 of shoes to U.S. healthcare workers.
In the United Kingdom, department store Marks & Spencer has donated T-shirts to NHS workers in London and over 4,000 pajamas to be used as scrubs in Derbyshire. It also set up twice-weekly food delivery for NHS workers at three London hospitals.
Debra Hazel
Debra Hazel Communications
Arverne, NY
debra@debrahazelcommunications.com
(201) 618-5247
