Premier

Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries, states and sub-national governments. A second in command to a premier is designated as a vice-premier or deputy premier.

Examples by country

In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister".

In the People's Republic of China, "premier" is more common and official, but "prime minister" is still used (see Premier of the People's Republic of China).

In four of the British overseas territories (Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the British Virgin Islands), the elected heads of government are styled as "Premier". In other overseas territories the equivalent post is styled as Chief Minister.

"Premier" is also the title of the heads of government in sub-national entities, such as the provinces and territories of Canada, states of the Commonwealth of Australia, provinces of South Africa, the island of Nevis within the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the nation of Niue. In some of these cases, the formal title remains "Prime Minister" but "Premier" is used to avoid confusion with the national leader. In these cases, care should be taken not to confuse the title of "premier" with "prime minister". In these countries, terms such as "Federal Premier", "National Premier", or "Premier of the Dominion" were sometimes used to refer to prime ministers, although these are now obsolete. The French language does not differentiate between premier and prime minister and therefore federal prime ministers and provincial, state or colonial premiers are all called premier ministres.

Shopping

A retail or a shop is a business that presents a selection of goods and offers to trade or sell them to customers for money or other goods. Shopping is an activity in which a customer browses the available goods or services presented by one or more retailers with the intent to purchase a suitable selection of them. In some contexts it may be considered a leisure activity as well as an economic one.

In modern days customer focus is more transferred towards online shopping; worldwide people order products from different regions and online retailers deliver their products to their homes, offices or wherever they want. The B2C (business to consumer) process has made it easy for consumers to select any product online from a retailer's website and have it delivered to the consumer within no time. The consumer does not need to consume his energy by going out to the stores and saves his time and cost of travelling.

The shopping experience can range from delightful to terrible, based on a variety of factors including how the customer is treated, convenience, the type of goods being purchased, and mood.

Fashion Mall

Fashion Mall was a three-level shopping mall in Plantation, Florida, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. The mall closed in December 2006 following hurricane damage. The new owner is transforming the property into a self-described 'dynamic mixed-use lifestyle destination' known as 321 North.

History

Fashion Mall opened with Lord and Taylor as an anchor store in early 1988. Thereafter, Macy's opened in time for the busy 1988 Holiday shopping season before the rest of the mall was completed. The Lord and Taylor store closed in 2003, when the chain exited the state of Florida. After a series of sales, the property was acquired by U.S. Capital Holdings Group in 2004. The Macy's remained open until 2005, when Hurricane Wilma caused significant damage to the store; on 26 July 2006, Macy's announced it was permanently closing the Fashion Mall store.

Leadup to closure

After Lord & Taylor and Macy's closed, the occupancy dwindled to fewer than 20 stores. Adding to the center's woes was the hurricane damage and an agreement signed by the previous owners with the city of Plantation, agreeing to install upgrades to the mall's fire safety systems. While U.S. Capital Holdings Group considered plans to repair and renovate the property, the city pressed to have the upgrades installed, since the deficiencies had been noted since 2003 unbeknownst to the owner and it was claimed that nothing had been done to remediate them.

The Fashion Mall at Keystone

The Fashion Mall at Keystone, known better as The Fashion Mall, is an upscale shopping center in the northeast section of the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. The mall is located off I-465 at 86th Street and Keystone. The mall is considered the heart of the Keystone at the Crossing district. Developed, managed, and owned by Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group, the center is currently anchored by Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. The Fashion Mall consists of two two-story buildings linked by a glass archway called "The Crossing" that is also a foodcourt. The mall offers 95 specialty shops and restaurants. Over 40% of the stores in the mall have their sole location in the state of Indiana there. About 97% of the store's retail area was in use at the end of 2006.

Parisian's parent company, Saks Incorporated, sold the entire chain of stores to Belk. Belk thus sold the location to Nordstrom. In summer 2007, the store was renovated and reopened as the state's second Nordstrom location. The process was similar to Saks Fifth Avenue's renovation and replacement of Jacobson's old store.

Shopping mall

A shopping mall is a modern, chiefly North American, term for a form of shopping precinct or shopping center, in which one or more buildings form a complex of shops representing merchandisers with interconnecting walkways that enable customers to walk from unit to unit. A shopping arcade is a specific form serving the same purpose. Many early shopping arcades such the Burlington Arcade in London, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan and numerous arcades in Paris are famous and still trading. However, many smaller arcades have been demolished, replaced with large centers or "malls", often accessible by vehicle. Technical innovations such as electric lighting and escalators were introduced from the late 19th century. From the late 20th century, entertainment venues such as movie theaters and restaurants began to be added. As a single built structure, early shopping centers were often architecturally significant constructions, enabling wealthier patrons to buy goods in spaces protected from the weather.