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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Who Needs a Pacifier With This Stroller

Screaming babies and demanding toddlers can turn any shopping experience into a nightmare, but Northridge Fashion Center may have a solution: tablet-equipped strollers. The strollers, which include a rear section for packages, feature entertaining games and music aimed at children 10 and younger. “It really is supposed to help the families that are here,” said Brooke Whitebread, the mall’s marketing director. “As they are shopping, hopefully their children are a little more entertained so that parents can complete the shopping they came to do.” General Growth Properties Inc., the Chicago-based company that owns the mall, partnered with Smarte Carte, a St. Paul, Minn. maker of shopping carts, to place nearly two dozen of the strollers in the mall. Northridge was one of four malls owned by General Growth to test the strollers, which are available for rent for $7 with a portion rebated when parents return them. “We have a very large family demographic here. So that seems to be a perfect fit for this (mall) as a trial,” Whitebread said. Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst for market research firm NPD Group Inc. of New York, said integrating technology with retail, if done properly, can increase retailers’ business and relationship with customers. “It is really about the service, convenience and trust that the consumer feels,” he said. “For small malls, I think it matters even more so.” Northridge Fashion Center is one of three retail center properties owned by General Growth in the San Fernando Valley. The others are Glendale Galleria and Fallbrook Center. – Champaign Williams

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