Black Friday sales activity rose this year both online and in brick-and-mortar stores. But online sales saw a far bigger increase than in-person shopping, according to research from Mastercard.

According to Mastercard’s SpendingPulse, Black Friday sales at physical stores grew by just 0.7% this year when compared to Black Friday a year earlier. But
online sales grew 14.6% this Black Friday, Mastercard reported

Black Friday spending overall rose 3.4% on a year-over-year basis, according to Mastercard’s SpendingPulse. This trend should continue throughout the holiday shopping season, which this year runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 24. Mastercard said that it expects total retail sales during this year’s holiday shopping season to increase 3.2% on a year-over-year basis.

In more evidence that consumers were happy to spend online this Black Friday, Adobe Inc. reported that U.S. shoppers spend about $10.8 billion online last Friday. That figure is up 10.2% from the amount that online shoppers spent a year earlier.

Adobe identified Bluetooth speakers, makeup products and espresso machines as some of this Black Friday’s most popular online purchases.

Salesforce, though, said that online spending was even higher, reporting that U.S. shoppers spent $17.5 billion online on Black Friday, up 7% on a year-over-year basis. Salesforce said that global online spending reached a new high of $74.4 billion last Friday, up 5% from a year earlier.

 Moss Construction and Shiloh Place celebrated the groundbreaking of a new housing project that will double the capacity of Shiloh Place in McKinney, Texas.

The new facility, approximately 16,641 square feet, will replace the existing 50- to 60-year-old buildings with modern housing, giving the organization the ability to now house 16 families. This project underscores Shiloh Place’s commitment to providing much-needed support to single mothers striving for financial stability and independence. 

Shiloh Place’s mission is to equip single mothers with financial independence and personal wholeness by addressing their physical, educational, emotional and spiritual needs enabling them to become productive members of the workforce and their community.  Moss Construction, the general contractor on the Shiloh Place housing development, is doing its part to support Shiloh Place by proudly donating its project fee to the organization as part of its commitment to giving back to the DFW market and McKinney and helping others.  

Designed by O’Brien Architects, the building will include 16 two-bedroom apartments, each with a bathroom and full-sized kitchen. The apartments surround an outdoor area that includes green space and playgrounds for the children. Other project partners include: Kimley-Horn, civil planning and landscaping; Jordan & Skala Engineers, mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering; and Strand, structural engineering. 

 JLL Capital Markets announced today that it has completed the sale of Energy Crossing II, a 327,404-square-foot office building in Houston’s Energy Corridor.

JLL represented the seller in the sale of the property to Capital Commercial Investments, Inc.

Completed in 2014, Energy Crossing II is an eight-story property offering some of the highest quality available office space in the Energy Corridor. The property offers flexible floorplates averaging 42,648 square feet that can accommodate a variety of single or multi-user configurations and features amenities, including a fitness center and on-site parking garage. Overall, the building is approximately 30% leased and is positioned to capitalize on the “flight-to-quality” trend occurring across the office market.

Energy Crossing II is situated on a 5.47-acre site at 15011 Katy Freeway in the heart of Houston’s Energy Corridor. The property has visibility and immediate access to Interstate 10, providing connections to Beltway 8 and Westpark Tollway as well as downtown Houston, the Galleria and the George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Additionally, Energy Crossing II is close to some of Houston’s most prestigious residential areas, including The Villages, Briar Forest and River Oaks. West Houston has been recognized as the number one leasing submarket in the nation, fueled by the diverse economy consisting of energy, life sciences, manufacturing, logistics and aerospace companies.

The JLL Capital Markets Investment Sales and Advisory team representing the seller was led by Managing Director Kevin McConn and Senior Director Rick Goings.

In an era when online shopping has transformed consumer habits, Texas retail developers are finding innovative ways to draw shoppers back to physical spaces. One standout approach: integrating experiential elements like interactive fountains and themed environments that immerse visitors and encourage lingering.
“Since the pandemic, there has been a significant shift towards creating experiences for retail shoppers, to give consumers a compelling reason to visit a brick-and-mortar store that they can’t get online,” said Sarah Shores, Vice President of Administration at Outside the Lines, Inc. (OTL). Shores shared that OTL’s water features and show fountains, seen in high-profile Texas retail centers, are designed not only to beautify but to transform these spaces into destinations.
“We’re seeing outdoor centers and even older shopping malls invest and reinvest in amenities, including water features, to help create a unique and immersive experience consumers won’t find from behind a screen at home,” Shores explained.

Texas’s strong retail performance, with major cities such as Austin, DallasFort Worth (DFW), Houston and San Antonio boasting occupancy rates above 95%, underscores the sector’s adaptability. Developers have increasingly turned to experiential features to meet shifting consumer expectations.
At TexasLive! in Arlington, for example, OTL’s fire-enhanced fountain has become a prime gathering spot, doubling as a popular location for social media photos. Such immersive elements, Shores noted, are powerful tools for retail centers, creating experiences that bring visitors back again and again. Advanced technology like artificial intelligence (AI) further amplifies the value of these experiential features, elevating the in-person experience while delivering actionable insights. OTL’s Aquarius Interactive™ system, for instance, has added an AI-driven layer to water installations like the Illuvia fountain at EpicCentral in Grand Prairie.
“Aquarius Interactive™ is activated when guests walk by or near the fountain, and the fountain reacts with changes to the water jets and lights,” Shores said. This AI interaction, which tracks movement, position and size of visitors, enhances engagement by responding dynamically to guests’ presence. Shores emphasized that the AI aspect not only draws in crowds but also captures valuable data on foot traffic and dwell times, helping property managers tailor the space to consumer behavior.
This seamless integration of technology into the physical retail environment is echoed by Leisa Barger, Chief Marketing Officer at Weitzman, who champions data-driven approaches across the company’s Texas retail portfolio. “Data is today’s currency, and my team and I live by this mantra,” Barger stated, noting that data analysis and advanced customer tracking have become essential tools for retaining tenants and understanding shopper preferences.
AI-driven analytics, Barger added, are pivotal for crafting marketing strategies that enhance tenant engagement and maintain high occupancy across Texas. “It’s all about leading your shoppers to where you are as seamlessly as possible,” she said, pointing to search engine optimization (SEO) as one of the most effective tools in reaching consumers. “In some cases, we’re delivering upwards of 100% increases in search and online viewers due to the success of having a highly strategic team implement exciting new SEO search strategies.”
The emphasis on digital marketing has further strengthened Weitzman’s position in Texas’s retail market, especially in grocery-anchored and mixed-use centers. During the pandemic, when foot traffic waned, Weitzman evaluated the digital presence of its 3,500 tenants and assisted those with limited online visibility.
“Small retailers who worked with our team to improve their digital and e-commerce capabilities saw their traffic rise 25% to 28% on average after implementation,” Barger siad. By bolstering tenants’ online engagement, Weitzman has helped secure Texas’s status as a retail leader, even as digital shopping continues to surge.
Experiential development and AI-enabled analytics are transforming Texas retail in ways that go beyond traditional tenant mixes. Shores sees AI’s role expanding beyond fountains, envisioning future applications like interactive lighting that guides visitors through stores or personalized paths to highlight specific products.
“This technology can add another layer of engagement and excitement for consumers without them even realizing it’s there,” Shores said, underscoring how AI not only enhances the customer experience but also delivers data that helps developers and retailers refine their offerings. These advanced AI and digital strategies will be integral in meeting shifting consumer demands, according to Shores and Barger, who both believe Texas’s retail landscape is well-positioned for growth thanks to its commitment to creating environments that resonate with communities while leveraging data to optimize every aspect of the consumer journey. Shores summed it up: “When retail properties offer an amenity that is both entertaining and social-media worthy, it’s a win-win.”

Marcus & Millichap facilitated the sale of Hughes Springs Storage Units, a 54,100-square-foot self-storage facility in Hughes Springs, Texas. 

Brandon Karr and Danny Cunningham, investment specialist in Marcus & Millichap’s Fort Worth office and co-leaders of the Karr-Cunningham Storage Team, exclusively represented the seller, a Hughes Springs native who developed the property, and procured the buyer, a Dallas-based real estate investment company.  

Hughes Springs Storage Units is positioned at 189 FM 250. The facility, built in 2019, spans approximately 54,100 rentable square feet across 260 units, including 240 drive-up units and 20 fully enclosed boat/RV spaces. The property features perimeter fencing, a gated entrance with key-pad access, and convenient access to local thoroughfares. The property has maintained a high occupancy rate of 94%.  

KDC completed the $114 million Port of Freeport facility in Freeport, Texas, for Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA).

Situated on 120 acres about 63 miles south of Houston, the new Gulf Coast hub will import and process up to 140,000 Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Porsche vehicles annually, supporting about a third of VWGoA’s U.S. retail dealers. This new campus encompasses several service buildings totaling more than 200,000 square feet along with asphalt parking for more than 16,000 vehicles, trucks and railcars.

“This was a great opportunity for KDC to leverage our industrial build-to-suit experience for Volkswagen’s new state-of-the-art facility,” said Eric Hage, KDC president. “The logistical and operational benefits of the facility enable Volkswagen to deliver vehicles faster and more efficiently to dealerships across America.” 

KDC partnered with PRP Real Estate, VWGoA and Port Freeport on the new facility. The project team broke ground in late 2022, consolidating two smaller Texas facilities in Houston and Midlothian. The new facility creates 110 direct jobs along with numerous indirect jobs in areas such as trucking, rail and vessel operations.

With its larger channels, Port Freeport utilizes low-emission LNG vessels, supporting Volkswagen Group’s goal to improve the environmental footprint of its global logistics.

Stewart Development & Construction served as general contractor, Goree was the architect, and JLL represented Volkswagen.