{"id":1004385314,"date":"2020-01-24T12:51:41","date_gmt":"2020-01-24T20:51:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/?p=1004385314"},"modified":"2020-01-24T12:57:58","modified_gmt":"2020-01-24T20:57:58","slug":"mms-maker-taps-hunger-for-retail-experiences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/mms-maker-taps-hunger-for-retail-experiences\/","title":{"rendered":"M&M’s Maker Taps Hunger for Retail Experiences"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

M&M’s London store. Image courtesy of Mars Retail Group<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n

The rise of online shopping has thrown the fate of many retail chains in doubt, but the maker of M&M\u2019s is boosting its brick-and-mortar presence after finding that a careful blend of technology and candy is enough to whet customers\u2019 appetites for in-store experiences.<\/p>\n

Mars Retail Group will open three new \u201cexperiential\u201d stores showcasing the signature chocolate candies in the U.S. and Germany over the next two years, the company announced, including one relocation and two stores in new markets. The brand worked with property brokerage CBRE to identify the future locations at the Disney Springs complex in Orange County, Fla.; Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis, Minn.; and Berlin\u2019s Kurf\u00fcrstendamm shopping street.<\/p>\n

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READ ALSO:<\/strong> World\u2019s Highest Retail Rents in 2019<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u201cMars has never made a direct-to-consumer play in totality in the way that it is about to,\u201d<\/em> Patrick McIntyre, the company\u2019s director of global retail, told Commercial Property Executive<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Mt. Arlington, N.J.-based Mars Retail Group currently operates five stores in prominent locations in Manhattan, Las Vegas and Orlando, Fla., as well as London and Shanghai. The division of privately held Mars Inc. sees these retail locations both as marketing tools and places to move candy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of our stores are performing very, very well, with the exception of where we are in Florida, which is why we\u2019re moving this store. It used to be a good location, now it\u2019s really not,\u201d<\/em> McIntyre added.<\/p>\n

Making it personal<\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Upcoming M&M’s store in Disney Springs. Rendering courtesy of Mars Retail Group<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n

Mars draws confectionery-lovers to its M&M\u2019s stores through colorful features such as \u201cwalls of chocolate\u201d made up of towering candy-filled tubes and interactive experiences, such as the option to create personalized sweets. The company\u2019s first location, opened in Las Vegas in 1997, is equipped with a small movie theater.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can put your face on an M&M within two minutes\u2019 time. You can have a dance party. You have lots of Instagramable moments,\u201d<\/em> McIntyre said. \u201cIf you come in and buy some of our merchandise, awesome. If you come in and just have a great time, even better.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Mars launched a remodeled Shanghai store in late 2018 that the company bills as its most technologically advanced, featuring a \u201cmood analyzer\u201d that scans customers\u2019 faces and a variety of mobile payment options with Alipay, WeChat and Apple Pay, among other offerings.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery three months we do something new in Shanghai,\u201d<\/em> noted McIntyre. \u201cWe are always giving a new experience to our consumers, whether it\u2019s analog or digital, because you have to stay fresh. Otherwise you become stale very, very quickly.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

New stores in Midwest, Europe<\/h2>\n

As part of its expansion plan, the company\u2019s existing store in the Florida Mall along Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando will be replaced by a new location on the west side of Disney Springs, a waterfront retail and dining destination within the Walt Disney World Resort. Construction of the store at 1486 Buena Vista Drive is expected to kick off immediately, with a grand opening slated for this year. The state-of-the-art shop will exceed 10,000 square feet.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Mall of America. Image courtesy of Farragutful via Wikimedia Commons<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n

Mars will also venture into the Midwest by opening a more than 24,000-square-foot location in the Mall of America, one of the largest malls in the country. The brand will occupy a central location on the first and second floors of the property developed by Triple Five Group.<\/p>\n

In addition to the U.S. moves, Mars is making its debut in Berlin, where it has partnered with developer Centrum Group to create a more than 30,000-square-foot destination in a standalone retail building in the city\u2019s premier shopping district. The new store, to open in early 2021, is located a block away from Apple and Nike outlets as well as the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.<\/p>\n

Bucking the trend<\/h2>\n

The confectionery brand\u2019s growth plans come amid a flurry of retail closures announced by some of the country\u2019s most visible chains. Audio equipment retailer Bose revealed last week<\/a> it is closing its remaining 119 physical stores across four continents, shortly after Macy\u2019s said it would shutter 28 department stores<\/a> and one Bloomingdale location.<\/p>\n

Clothing retailer Express said this week it plans to shed roughly 100 of its more than 600 stores by 2022. Other big names that have recently joined the brick-and-mortar exodus include Pier 1 Imports, which may eliminate almost half its retail network, and Forever 21, which filed for bankruptcy<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mars Retail Group is planning new interactive candy stores in Florida, Minnesota and Germany.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":744,"featured_media":1004385320,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21784,21808,16,23891,21742,21749],"tags":[32789,36701,48533],"class_list":["post-1004385314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brokerage","category-featured","category-international","category-national","category-latest","category-retail","tag-cbre","tag-mall-of-america","tag-mars-retail-group"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nM&M's Maker Taps Hunger for Retail Experiences - Commercial Property Executive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/mms-maker-taps-hunger-for-retail-experiences\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"M&M's Maker Taps Hunger for Retail Experiences\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mars Retail Group is planning new interactive candy stores in Florida, Minnesota and Germany.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/mms-maker-taps-hunger-for-retail-experiences\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Commercial Property Executive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CPExecutive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-01-24T20:51:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-01-24T20:57:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2020\/01\/Mars-store-interior.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"929\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"620\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Greg Isaacson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@cpexecutive\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@cpexecutive\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/mms-maker-taps-hunger-for-retail-experiences\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/mms-maker-taps-hunger-for-retail-experiences\/\",\"name\":\"M&M's Maker Taps Hunger for Retail Experiences - Commercial Property Executive\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/mms-maker-taps-hunger-for-retail-experiences\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/mms-maker-taps-hunger-for-retail-experiences\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2020\/01\/Mars-store-interior.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-01-24T20:51:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-01-24T20:57:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/1a92010198045e41b0b801129a41b3d8\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/mms-maker-taps-hunger-for-retail-experiences\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/mms-maker-taps-hunger-for-retail-experiences\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/mms-maker-taps-hunger-for-retail-experiences\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2020\/01\/Mars-store-interior.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2020\/01\/Mars-store-interior.jpg\",\"width\":929,\"height\":620,\"caption\":\"M&M's London store. 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