When the coronavirus pandemic began in March, businesses of all
sizes felt the effects, including empty stadiums and arenas, once
packed with fans during sporting events.
Witnessing the impact this had on employees, Adrian Curiel &
Kyle Negrete started their company, WICK SPORTS, as a way to raise
money in support of NBA stadium staff. Their candles are inspired
by game day traditions, smell like a moment in sports and are
designed to connect fans to their favorite team. Just 30 days after
launching on May 6, this pandemic-born startup sold out their first
batch. “At WICK, we’re on a mission to reignite team spirit. So
when we discovered Tangible and how they play a unique role in
their communities, we knew this would be a great way to get local
sports fans fired up for game day.”
WICK is just one example of a small business working to give
back to communities, harnessing local talent and connecting with
the consumer on a new level. Many of these businesses – like WICK –
were born online. Now, seven brands have a new physical home thanks
to Tangible™ Collective, Washington Prime Group’s (NYSE: WPG)
innovative concept which brings together the best of
brick-and-mortar and e-commerce and offers guests the opportunity
to try (or smell) unique, online-only products in a physical
space.
From local small businesses such as Barnes Cards and retailers
on platforms such as Etsy and Amazon, to those upstart Instagram
brands often seen within larger national footprints, Tangible
Collective aims to bring an eclectic mix to guests. Equipped with
expert merchandising and digital teams, the stores feature creative
displays intricately showcasing new brands. Additionally, each
location has a Brand Expert trained by the respective brands to
share important information and talking points. While browsing,
guests have the option to make quick, efficient purchases through
Tangible Collective’s in-store tablets.
Now, just in time for the season of giving, Tangible Collective
is welcoming seven new brands, including Wick Sports, to its three
locations including Polaris Fashion Place® in Columbus, Ohio; The
Outlet Collection® | Seattle in Auburn, Washington; and WestShore
Plaza in Tampa, Florida. These brands, featuring a range of
products from one-of-a-kind greeting cards and outdoor-use flasks
to a subscription box specifically for Black-owned businesses,
capture the ingenuity of small businesses to create a memorable
shopping experience. Each new brand contributes to Tangible’s
experiential atmosphere for guests to fully explore, touch and
feel.
“We know this holiday season will be especially challenging for
the small businesses that help our communities thrive,” said
Jennifer Moretti, Senior Vice President and Chief Activation
Officer at Washington Prime Group. “We are enthusiastic to welcome
these brands to Tangible Collective, giving them a physical home
for the holiday season and beyond, while offering our guests a
range of diverse products.”
Tangible Collective is committed to partnering with
community-centric brands and shining a light on the hard work of
artisans and entrepreneurs. In return, guests delight in a
one-of-a-kind shopping experience. To many of these brands, it’s
more than just business. They are dedicated to giving back to the
community and using their products and platform to support others.
Washington Prime Group is proud to provide these brands a physical
home, as their values directly align with those of every town
center.
Guests searching for the perfect greeting card or an interesting
puzzle for holiday activities at home will be able to check out
Barnes Cards. Founded by a Columbus-based artist, Barnes’ designs
aim to elevate the mood of others and spread “good feels.”
Additionally, Barnes Cards will donate a portion of proceeds to
local programs that support youth experiencing homelessness.
"As an entrepreneur, I'm always on the lookout for rad
innovations. When I learned about Tangible Collective the light
bulb went off,” said local designer Barnes. “Giving shoppers an
opportunity to experience the product, but still purchase it online
and have it shipped to their homes is such a timely and smart
evolution in the retail world. I'm excited to partner with Tangible
and to watch other brands follow suit."
Additionally, Tangible Collective’s first CBD brand offering,
For All Cares, creates lush products carefully crafted with CBD to
provide rejuvenation and restoration from head to toe. Following
suit, Kitty & Pierce is a beauty and wellness brand
specializing in creating lotions and skin products to give skin a
healthy balance all year round.
Providing guests an opportunity to shop small while giving back,
The Black Box is an exciting subscription, delivering curated
products from Black-owned businesses, every quarter. Based in
Phoenix, Arizona, the service launched during Black History Month
in 2019 and continues to incorporate different businesses from
around the country.
“Partnering with Tangible was a perfect fit, because we both
recognize how important it is for consumers to connect with brands
in a unique and meaningful way,” said Talei Hornback, Founder of
The Black Box. “Supporting our business model and the Black-owned
businesses we partner with, speaks volumes to who Tangible
Collective is as a forward-thinking company.”
Finally, new brands, Chassie and HighCamp Flasks will only be
sold on Tangible Collective’s online platform. Chassie, a furniture
company founded in the Bronx New York City, creates unique desks
through partnering with other New York City-based artists. HighCamp
Flasks offers flasks geared towards outdoor use. The company
started as a Kickstarter and has now been featured in leading
outdoor publications, such as Huckberry.
“Each new brand plays an integral role in Tangible Collective’s
innovative shopping experience,” continued Moretti. “We’re looking
forward to providing guests with fun holiday shopping finds while
sharing our curated collection of brands.”
Gearing up for the holiday season, Tangible Collective will also
offer a specially curated Holiday Gift Guide to help shoppers find
the perfect gift for each person on their list this year. The
Tangible Collective Holiday Gift Guide is available here.
In addition to providing one-of-a-kind treasures, Tangible
Collective’s retail locations also remain a safe option for holiday
shopping. Tangible Collective’s smaller retail spaces maintain
Washington Prime Group’s rigorous cleaning standards and allow
guests to peruse products while remaining socially distant. The
locations also allow for the opportunity for guests to easily
purchase items via in-store tablets or from the comfort of their
own homes.
As Tangible welcomes these seven new brands, it’s an opportunity
to recognize the small makers, artisans, and hard-working
entrepreneurs that have worked tirelessly to bring their creations
to life. The retail locations create buzz and provide a physical
presence for these brands with a limited or non-existent
brick-and-mortar footprint. A committed supporter of small
businesses, Tangible Collective embraces Washington Prime Group’s
mission of providing guests with one-of-a-kind shopping
opportunities and a seamless experience at the nexus of physical
and digital to explore and enjoy unique products.
About Tangible Collective
Created in 2017 by Washington Prime Group, Tangible Collective
is a curated space with a consistent rotation of online brands,
encouraging shoppers to explore and discover items before they buy
online. Blending the brick-and-mortar and e-commerce experience,
Tangible Collective is located at three town centers including
Polaris Fashion Place® in Columbus, Ohio; The Outlet Collection® |
Seattle in Auburn, Washington; and WestShore Plaza in Tampa,
Florida. Learn more about Tangible Collective and explore their
unique selection of brands at www.tangiblecollective.com. Follow
along on social media on Facebook and Instagram at
@TangibleCollective.
About Washington Prime Group
Washington Prime Group: National footprint with local flavor.
With 100 town centers throughout the US, we’re as American as apple
pie. As a matter of fact, we are also as American as deep dish
pizza in Chicago, Hawaiian poke salad, vegan spring rolls in
Malibu, El Paso Tex-Mex, Maryland crab cakes, kimchi in Orange
County, Memphis barbeque and a Kansas City porterhouse. Our well
regarded infrastructure, from Hawaii to Connecticut, and pretty
much everywhere else in between, allows our tenant and sponsor
partners to benefit from the operating efficacy and economies of
scale at a large national real estate company, alongside local
management who possess comprehensive knowledge of the specific
locale within which they reside. Washington Prime Group®,
Tangible™, The Outlet Collection® | Seattle, and Polaris Fashion
Place® are registered trademarks of the Company. The Company also
holds a patent (U.S. PAT. NO. 10,540,702 B2) for the Tangible
interactive marketing concept. Learn more at
www.washingtonprime.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
which represent the current expectations and beliefs of management
of Washington Prime Group Inc. (“WPG”) concerning the proposed
transactions, the anticipated consequences and benefits of the
transactions and the targeted close date for the transactions, and
other future events and their potential effects on WPG, including,
but not limited to, statements relating to anticipated financial
and operating results, future liquidity, the Company’s plans,
objectives, expectations and intentions, cost savings and other
statements, including words such as “anticipate,” “believe,”
“confident,” “plan,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,”
“should,” “may,” and other similar expressions. Such statements are
based upon the current beliefs and expectations of WPG’s
management, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and
other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or
achievements of WPG to be materially different from future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without
limitation: changes in asset quality and credit risk; ability to
sustain revenue and earnings growth; changes in political, economic
or market conditions generally and the real estate and capital
markets specifically; the impact of increased competition; the
availability of capital and financing; tenant or joint venture
partner(s) bankruptcies; the failure to increase store occupancy
and same-store operating income; risks associated with the
acquisition, disposition, (re)development, expansion, leasing and
management of properties; changes in market rental rates; trends in
the retail industry; relationships with anchor tenants; risks
relating to joint venture properties; costs of common area
maintenance; competitive market forces; the level and volatility of
interest rates; the rate of revenue increases as compared to
expense increases; the financial stability of tenants within the
retail industry; the restrictions in current financing arrangements
or the failure to comply with such arrangements; the liquidity of
real estate investments; the impact of changes to tax legislation
and WPG’s tax positions; losses associated with closures, failures
and stoppages associated with the spread and proliferation of the
coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic; to qualify as a real estate
investment trust; the failure to refinance debt at favorable terms
and conditions; loss of key personnel; material changes in the
dividend rates on securities or the ability to pay dividends on
common shares or other securities; possible restrictions on the
ability to operate or dispose of any partially-owned properties;
the failure to achieve earnings/funds from operations targets or
estimates; the failure to achieve projected returns or yields on
(re)development and investment properties (including joint
ventures); expected gains on debt extinguishment; changes in
generally accepted accounting principles or interpretations
thereof; terrorist activities and international hostilities; the
unfavorable resolution of legal or regulatory proceedings; failure
of the contemplated reverse share split to accomplish the Company’s
objectives for the action and such other adverse consequences on
the marketability and liquidity of the Company’s common stock; the
impact of future acquisitions and divestitures; assets that may be
subject to impairment charges; significant costs related to
environmental issues; changes in LIBOR reporting practices or the
method in which LIBOR is determined; and other risks and
uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in WPG’s
statements and periodic reports filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, including those described under “Risk
Factors”. The forward-looking statements in this communication are
qualified by these risk factors. Each statement speaks only as of
the date of this press release and WPG undertakes no obligation to
update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new
information, subsequent events or circumstances. Actual results may
differ materially from current projections, expectations, and
plans, if any. Investors, potential investors and others should
give careful consideration to these risks and uncertainties.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201202005921/en/
Investors: Kimberly A. Green, VP, Investor Relations &
Corporate Communications, 614.887.5647 or
kim.green@washingtonprime.com. Media: Kimberly Flaherty, Senior
Director, Public Relations, 614.887.5715 or
kimberly.flaherty@washingtonprime.com
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