The Sept. 27 Shopping Center Business webinar “Market Outlook — Insights on Retail, Consumers, REITs, NNN & Shopping Centers” covered the state of the retail industry, focusing on consumer behavior and the financial health of retailers. Be sure to tune in to the 6-minute mark of this webinar for a clear-eyed, informative breakdown of key retail trends from moderator Dana Telsey of Telsey Advisory Group. Panelists discussed a shift in consumer spending toward value and discount retailers, with a slowdown in luxury goods consumption. The webinar also explored challenges in the retail sector, including increased …
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High occupancy rates and prohibitive development costs continue to challenge expansion-minded retailers. Only 4.5 percent of total retail space in the United States was available for lease at the end of August, according to CoStar Group. That represents a 35 percent reduction in retail availability over the past decade amid greater absorption and space being removed from the market. Combined with limited new shopping center development over the past 15 years, the tight conditions are pushing retail real estate experts to get creative when searching for ways to help brands …
Faris Lee Investments: The Time to Buy and Sell is Now
Finding the ideal time to buy or sell a retail investment is next to impossible. This task seems to be made even harder as sellers long for the prices and demand of 2020 and 2021, while buyers wish for the interest rates associated with that time period. But the past is the past. Retail investors can engage in shoulda, woulda, coulda until the cows come home, but it’s not a productive exercise. What is productive is operating with today’s fundamentals in mind. Part of doing that, notes Shaun Riley, Jeff …
Brokers, owners and developers active in the Mid-Atlantic’s retail sector describe a market buoyed by a strong consumer base, though the landscape varies somewhat across urban and suburban areas. Even as the Mid-Atlantic contends with higher interest rates and a drop in daytime traffic within urban centers as a result of new work-from-home practices, retail in the region continues to shine. According to sources interviewed for this article, the market — despite these economic headwinds and uncertainties — is thriving and as strong as ever. As Richard Lake of Roadside …
Store closures have been making headlines — from drugstores to restaurants and big box retailers. While some worry this is a sign of a slowing retail market, disposing of excess space quickly at the right price saves companies valuable time and money. Closures are not limited to retailers that are struggling — healthy retailers and restaurants shutter locations where their prototype may have evolved or the demographic makeup of the neighborhood has shifted. Mark Reeder, executive vice president at SRS Real Estate Partners, has provided disposition solutions for national retailers …
Despite solid fundamentals at retail centers, investors are waiting for certainty in values, capital markets to transact. The U.S. retail market is currently on a long stretch of rock-solid performance at the property level. The national vacancy rate is at a healthy 4.1 percent, according to first-quarter 2024 research from CoStar Group. This comes one quarter after a stellar 4 percent vacancy rate at year-end 2023. What’s more is net store openings are on pace to be positive for the third consecutive year, according to research from Cushman & Wakefield. …
Franklin Street: How to Navigate Current Retail Challenges and Future Opportunities
At the ICSC LAS VEGAS 2024 conference, Nelli Day of Retail Insight interviewed Monetha Cobb, chief marketing officer, and Greg Matus, senior vice president of investment sales, of Franklin Street, to discuss the prevailing challenges and future trends in the retail industry. Key Challenges in Retail The primary hurdle in the retail sector is the fluctuating market and rising interest rates, which have significantly slowed down transactions. Investors and developers are finding it tougher to secure deals as banks enforce stricter lending criteria. Despite a slight uptick in activity, …
At the ICSC LAS VEGAS 2024 conference, Nellie Day from Retail Insight spoke with Nate Tower, president and founder of Broad Reach Retail Partners, to explore the evolving landscape of retail and upcoming trends in the space. Broad Reach Retail Partners focuses on revitalizing underperforming shopping centers via a holistic, full-cycle approach that considers leasing, management, construction and acquisition. Tower emphasizes the importance of assessing a matrix of key performance indicators (KPIs) — including capital requirements, tenant mix and market demographics — to develop and execute effective business plans …
NewMark Merrill: Harness Retail Data to Improve Customer Experience, Streamline Operations
Sandy Sigal argues that the evolving fields of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are a perfect fit for retail. “We generate the most relevant data on an everyday basis, and that data affects the outcomes and success of our centers,” explains Sigal. In a discussion on the pivotal role of technology in the retail sector, Sigal emphasizes that understanding customer behavior is paramount for shopping center owners. By leveraging technology to track customer movement and sentiment — where they come from, how long they stay, how they feel about …
At the ICSC LAS VEGAS 2024 conference, Nellie Day of Retail Insight discussed the current investment climate with Shaun Riley, managing principal of Faris Lee Investments. Riley highlights key aspects of the retail environment — discussing interest rates, bid-ask spreads, navigating the market and more. Investor Sentiment and Market Reactions Riley explains that investor sentiment is significantly influenced by interest rates. After two decades of low rates, recent hikes have led to a cautious approach among investors. “A lot of [investors] are waiting out until they see the returns …