D-FW and Amaxon, construction, Neiman Marcus: Wednesday's Business Briefing

Your lunchtime look at D-FW business [Your lunchtime look at D-FW business] September 13,  2017  Prefer the online view? It's [here](. | Follow us on Twitter: [@DMNBiz]( The Dallas area was one of only two major U.S. markets to see an annual decline in apartment permits in July. (Steve Brown) The Big Story Dallas apartment permits dip 20 percent in the first sign of a building slowdown The long-predicted slowdown in North Texas apartment construction may finally be in the works. With over 50,000 rental units under construction, Dallas-Fort Worth has been the top apartment building market in the country in recent years. But a significant slowdown in permits for new apartments this year may herald a decline in building cranes on our horizon. [For the 12-month period ending in July](, Dallas-area apartment permits were down almost 20 percent from a year earlier, according to data from Richardson-based RealPage. Dallas and Atlanta were the only two top-10 U.S. apartment markets to see a year-over-year decline in building permits, RealPage reports. Apartment analysts have been forecasting a slowdown in North Texas building starts to let the market catch up with several years of dramatic construction. -[Steve Brown]( Plus: [Find more on D-FW real estate]( special offer For a limited time, newsletter readers can enjoy unlimited digital access to DallasNews.com for only $2.99 a week. [Sign up today]( and stay informed about the latest news that's important to you.  The Latest - Jobs: [Neiman Marcus]( is closing 10 Last Call stores which employ 241 people. - Technology:  From oohs and aahs to privacy concerns, here's how social media is reacting to [Apple's new gadgets](. - Restaurants: [Pizza Hut](is in hot water after Florida manager threatens workers fleeing Irma. - Economy: [Harvey's financial damage]( estimate rises to nearly $200 billion. - Health care: [One in every six Texans]( had no health insurance in 2016, Census data show. - Retail: [AT&T fires first price war salvo]( with buy-one-get-one free iPhone 8 offer. Advertisement The downtown skyline, photographed from above the interchange of US-75 at Woodall Rogers on Thursday, March 23, 2017, in Dallas, TX. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News) how we compare Could D-FW land the new HQ of Amazon? Here are the pros and cons Amazon kicked off an unprecedented hyper-public search for a place to build its second headquarters, where the company is promising  to invest $5 billion and bring 50,000 high-paying tech jobs. The Seattle-based online retail behemoth's announcement, predictably, touched off a scramble by business leaders in metro areas across the country, including Dallas-Fort Worth, who hoped to get their cities a piece of the action. But as economic development increasingly becomes a game of perception — with companies choosing their homes based on things like amenities for their workers rather than geographic necessity — more and more companies are making a show of shopping around. Does D-FW have a shot? [Check out five reasons it does and five reasons it doesn't](. -[Jill Cowan]( Plus: [Find more on the D-FW economy]( Elsewhere in Texas - Transportation: [Lyft]( launches black car service in Austin. (Austin American-Statesman) - Jobs: [Are some Amazon employees]( hoping to see the new headquarters land in Texas? (Bloomberg) - Economy: Finding an affordable apartment in Fort Worth or Arlington is tough. [Here’s why](. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) - Construction: 2 new buildings will add [1 million square feet](to Capitol complex. (Austin American-Statesman) - Real estate: [Houston home sales plunged]( 25 percent in August as Harvey approached. (Houston Chronicle) Chip and Joanna Gaines of Magnolia Homes and Fixer Upper are photographed while speaking at the Gaylord Texan Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas photographed on Wednesday, August 3, 2016. (Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News) What's in store HGTV Fixer Upper couple has new retail deal with Target Chip and Joanna Gaines, Waco-based entrepreneurs and starts of HGTV's Fixer Upper series, have scored a huge business relationship with Target. "Hearth & Hand with Magnolia" merchandise will be in Target stores on Nov. 5 around the time the fifth Season of Fixer Upper premiers and of course, just in time for holiday shopping. [The merchandise that Joanna Gaines describes as "modern farmhouse" will be showcased in a small shop setting](similar to how Target has added in newly remodeled stores with exclusive brands in women's and children's. Hearth & Hand is one of 12 new brands that Target announced this week. Chip Gaines made the announcement in his blog Tuesday afternoon. -[Maria Halkias]( Plus: [Find more on the Magnolia empire from the Fixer Upper couple]( Malcolm Reuben, Niva Hall at the Black-tie gala celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Neiman Marcus NorthPark and NorthPark Center October 28, 2015. (Owen Kolasinski/Courtesy Neiman Marcus NorthPar) Who Is... Malcolm Reuben Anyone who has spent time in the Neiman Marcus store at NorthPark Center in Dallas has seen Malcolm Reuben. He's the kind of store general manager who walks the floor and says hello. Reuben is often spotted standing just off the Van Cleef & Arpels shop on level 2, or with the furs moved to a more prominent place during the holiday shopping season. [Reuben is retiring from Neiman Marcus](at the end of this year, after 23 years with the company, 17 of them as the manager of the NorthPark store. That store has consistently been the No. 1 or No. 2 in the chain. "Malcolm is a true master of the art of retailing, leading one of our most important stores to success year after year," said Neva Hall, executive vice president of Neiman Marcus Stores. "He has sent an incredibly high bar for his team and for the entire Neiman Marcus Group. -[Maria Halkias]( Plus: [Find more on D-FW retail]( Follow DFW stocks: [See how top North Texas stocks performed](, as well as the oil and gas markets and major stock exchanges. DFW Top 100 Places to Work 2016: The Dallas Morning News and Workplace Dynamics partner each year to feature the [Top 100 workplaces](, based on ratings by the people who work at them. The 2017 ranking is in progress. Advertisement 👋  That's all for today! For up-to-the-minute business news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com/Business](. 💖 Share the love: If you like this newsletter, please forward this email to a friend and [check out our other newsletters here](. 📧 Do you have feedback on this newsletter? Send your thoughts, questions, praise and corrections to our Business Editor Paul O'Donnell at [podonnell@dallasnews.com](mailto:podonnell@dallasnews.com?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback). 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