Retail's building blocks

Fashion designers and other high-profile retailers continue to open stores in prestigious shopping districts, thereby helping to drive up real estate prices. The costs of opening a store on a desirable street in New York, Milan, London, Paris and Berlin are explored. SoHo and Madison Ave remain New York's most attractive shopping districts, but some moderate-price chains have entered both neighborhoods.
The use of the store as a marketing tool has been a phenomenon for much of this decade. Designers continue to christen public relations palaces in key shopping districts to [...]