There are two big threats to retail that nearly every landlord is trying to avoid: sales lost to online shopping and shoppers lost due to a recession. It may be impossible to completely fend off an attack from either, but Jon Wheeler, CEO of Pinnacle Real Estate Investment Group, has a strategy for minimizing both. Wheeler is a big believer in grocery-anchored shopping centers in secondary and tertiary markets. He prefers stabilized (as opposed to value-add) assets with quality grocers and a variety of necessity- and service-based retailers, such as …
Technology is omnipresent in nearly every aspect of our daily lives — and it is changing rapidly, but retail real estate players don’t have to reinvent the wheel to keep up with the latest and greatest. Bryan Cornelius, president of X Team and principal at Dallas/Fort Worth-based Venture Commercial, values the convenience, information and speed technology brings to his teams, but believes the secret sauce for a successful practice is local market knowledge. X Team has built its streamlined platform on this notion and the group plans to continue integrating …
Corey Bialow, CEO of Bialow Real Estate, is extremely optimistic about this next phase of retail. As a tenant representative, he has seen this sentiment shared throughout industry events like RECon, and among his clients. There are plenty of tenants looking for shopping center space, Bialow contends — though there is a caveat. These tenants are looking for high-quality, welcoming spaces in today’s top centers. This places the onus on landlords to ensure their spaces remain competitive with the rest of the market. Having worked with digitally native brands for quite …
Davon Barbour, vice president of economic development and planning for the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, is closely following the buying habits of Millennials. He knows many of those dollars are invested in food and beverage, particularly when it comes to Millennials who live and work in downtown settings. With that in mind, Barbour and his team are focused on attracting new entries into the market, as well as expanding current offerings, such as Blackwall Hitch, which is set to open its fourth location in the area. Yard 56, a Prudential-backed …
It used to be enough for a shopping center to house the lead grocer in a trade area, or at least the closest grocer for the majority of residents. Not so anymore, thanks to the internet and increased competition from additional shopping centers and grocer entries. That’s why Bob Myers, COO of Phillips Edison & Company, believes landlords and tenants need to do more to differentiate. That starts with emphasizing their value add. Amenities like Kroger Fuel, resources like dedicated parking and apps that provide buy online, pick up in …
Sandy Sigal, president and CEO of NewMark Merrill, may have built his company in the physical world of real estate, but he’s keenly aware the lines between online and brick and mortar are blurring. In fact, he asserts that the line is often non-existent for the consumer nowadays. That’s because technology has armed shoppers with the ability to shop how, when and where they choose. Retail companies planning to be around for the long haul are doing the same by investing in their non-core counterpart to ensure the physical and …
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Faris Lee: Retail is ‘Running on All Cylinders’ As the Fed Holds Rates Steady
It’s been a rollercoaster ride for retail, but Rick Chichester, president and CEO of Faris Lee, believes it’s smooth sailing ahead through at least the remainder of 2019, if not longer. This sense of security is largely due to the Fed’s decision to hold interest rates steady after the market reacted negatively to the four increases in 2018. This clarity has also brought renewed optimism and elevated consumer confidence to the market, something Chichester wouldn’t have predicted as little as five months ago. All of this information has given …
Diversification is a solid investment strategy in any market — and is perhaps more important than ever in today’s market. At least when it comes to the physical retail environment. Simon Hartzell, director of new offices for NAI Global, knows this to be true, which is why he has internalized this strategy. NAI Global maintains a macro presence but is focused on the micro-economies. The company is looking to grow its presence in often-overlooked secondary and tertiary markets where brokers and clients can maintain a competitive advantage. Hartzell also sees …
Retail vacancies are not a good thing — unless you’re in the middle of a retail renaissance with a number of forward-thinking tenants ready to take that space. So says Scott Holmes, national director of retail for Marcus & Millichap, who sees opportunities in these empty spaces today. First, there are the familiar tenants that are expanding. These include junior anchors like TJ Maxx, Ross and Burlington. Then, there are the newly emerging tenants, including the previously online-only concepts that are expanding into brick-and-mortar. Holmes has tracked 850 digitally native …
Jimmy Slusher, vice president of National Retail Partners – West at CBRE, acknowledges transaction volume is down compared to previous quarters, but this is not a trend he expects will continue. Slusher witnessed a barrage of activity at ICSC RECon, which supports his prediction that transaction volume will escalate in the second half of 2019. That’s because many investors are eager to deploy capital if they can find good-quality, grocery-anchored shopping centers, which are in demand at the moment. This level of interest has caused cap rates to continue to …