New Options, New Opportunities

The market, the industry and the way we communicate and seek news and information is changing. And now, so are we.The widespread use of the Internet, e-newsletters, RSS feeds and 24-hour cable news channels has added an immediate delivery aspect to the news cycle. With so many different opportunities to serve you better, we’re happy to announce that there’s a new CPN coming your way.As always, we will continue to provide perspective on breaking news, in-depth analysis of headlines and industry trends, along with actionable data and conversations with and about industry thought leaders—in print, online and face to face. But we will be expanding the amount of information we provide and generating new ways to share it to best meet your needs.We’ll be introducing these changes to you over the coming months—starting right away. With this issue, the magazine shifts to a monthly frequency. The monthly delivery will afford us a stepped-up medium, allowing us to give you more on what the news and data mean to you and your business.In addition, we have increased the number of articles and data available exclusively on the Web. You’ll find details on some of those special features in the CPNOnline table of contents on page 3.With this issue, we are also proud to introduce a new quarterly retail feature in partnership with our sister Nielsen Co. business Claritas, a provider of demographic-based retail data and analysis. The inaugural multimedia report includes a print portion that examines the market for necessity spending, as well as data to guide investors on their approach to U.S. retail markets (see page 32). Charts break down the top markets in which to maintain or expand activity, along with the primary markets in which limiting or decreasing activity is the best approach. A more in-depth ranking of markets in each region is available at www.cpnonline.com/datacenter, along with an article and charts addressing expectations for discretionary spending and the effects on the retail real estate sector. With this report, we begin to expand on our goal of providing you with usable and relevant data that you will be able to apply in your strategic business decisionmaking.The report was timed to coincide with the International Council of Shopping Centers spring convention, which is taking place at an interesting time for the retail industry. Rising unemployment, declining consumer confidence and the consequent slowing of consumer spending have hurt the sector, but even the hardware and home furnishings categories, victims of the weak single-family housing market, are not completely down and out. Despite declining sales, The Home Depot, for instance, has only reduced—not eliminated—its growth plans. And though retail real estate owners are choosing ventures more carefully, they are still finding opportunities. Our charts are designed to help make that search easier.At CPN, we too are looking for opportunities—both to serve our readers better and to serve our advertisers better. To that end, we invite your feedback and invite you to stay tuned for some new and exciting changes at CPN.