One might think that during the Olympic Games in Beijing,merchandise at Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center's retailstore would be flying off the shelves.
But, that's not so, said store manager Paul Duran.
The busy time will be when spectators, athletes and coachesreturn from China in a couple of weeks.
'During an Olympic year sales always go up,' Duran said. 'Butright now people are either in Beijing or consumed with watching thegames on TV, but when they're over, they'll be coming in.'
However, at that time, Duran said the store's challenge will beto get rid of all the sports wear that says 'Beijing,' becausepretty soon it'll be yesterday's fad.
'We might have to have a tent sale,' he said.
And, after the 'all-Beijing-merchandise-must-go sale,' Duran saidit'll be time to look to the future.
'It'll be Vancouver in 2010,' he said.
Dems open Denver store
The Democratic Party, seeking to meet all convention-goersapparel and accessory needs, will open its own retail shop in theDenver Pavilions shopping center later this month.
The store doesn't have a name or phone number yet, but will sellconvention necessities such as T-shirts, water bottles and bumperstickers.
Surely there will be plenty of Barack Obama donkey embossedmemorabilia as well.
The Democratic National Convention Committee hired merchandisevendor Financial Innovations of Rhode Island to design and sell theretail items.
Big box green energy
One good thing about big box retail stores is that they have bigrooftops.
Well, that's a good thing if companies are looking for largesurface areas for solar panels.
Retail chains such as Wal-Mart, Kohl's, Safeway and Whole FoodsMarket have installed solar panels on the roofs of their stores togenerate electricity.
During the coming months, 85 Kohl's stores will get solar panels.Forty-three already have them.
Macy's has solar panels atop 18 stores and plans to install themon another 40 by the end of the year.
Safeway has plans to put panels on 23 stores.
Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, has 17 stores anddistribution centers with solar panels in operation or in thetesting phase.
Depending on location and weather, the solar panels can generatebetween 10 percent and 40 percent of the store's power needs.
Troop influx drives openings
Fountain is preparing for the arrival of 5,000 new troops at FortCarson during 2009 and retailers are booking locations.
Ent Federal Credit Union, Little Caesar's Pizza and Papa Murphy'sbroke ground this week in the Markets at Mesa Ridge shopping center,which is near the intersection of Mesa Ridge Parkway and FountainMesa Road, about a five-minute drive from Fort Carson's Gate 20.
'The Fountain Valley is a market unto its own trade area,'Fountain Economic Development Director Lisa Cochrun said. 'Peoplechose to live here because they want to avoid going north. The small-town atmosphere attracts them. Because we share two gates with FortCarson, we expect retail to boom as Fort Carson expands. It shouldbe a highlight in an otherwise gloomy economy.'
Commute-time analysis shows new troops are most likely to locatenear the post, Cochrun said.
New apartment buildings and housing developments are planned, andthe Interstate 25 interchange and bridge at Exit 132 is developingfaster than expected, Cochrun said.
'What our studies show is a sustainable demand for electronics,clothing, casual sit-down name brand restaurants, recreation andamusement centers, medical services, sporting goods, hobby stores, amovie theater ... all things families want close to home,' she said.
July chain-store sales up
Chain stores are still showing a slight increase in sales despitea supposed lack of American discretionary spending.
Sales increased 2.6 percent compared to July 2007, according tothe International Council of Shopping Centers.
June's sales increased at nearly double that rate, at 4.2percent, but July's performance was in line with the 2.5 percentaverage monthly year-over-year growth rate trend.
