On May 7, Texas Real Estate Business and Shopping Center Business magazines hosted “Texas Retail Reboot,” a webinar taking an in-depth look at what the Texas retail real estate community needs as the state reopens after statewide shutdowns due to COVID-19. The coronavirus pandemic isn’t over, but Texas retail is adjusting to a new normal, including figuring out what retail will look like going forward. What will the future of Texas retail look like post-coronavirus? Find out what industry experts have to say about these topics and more: How will Texas retailers …
It’s been a rough month and a half for planet Earth, but there are signs of hope. China is returning to normal life as Italy and Spain begin to ease COVID-19 restrictions. The U.S. — the country with most coronavirus-related casualties so far — isn’t at the point of reopening yet, but there are early indications it isn’t far behind. The curve is continuing to flatten — even in hotspots like New York, where Gov. Cuomo announced on April 13 that “it appears we have a plateau.” The COVID-19 infection …
Richard Chichester, president and CEO of Faris Lee, knows we’re late in the cycle, but he doesn’t see this as a bad thing. Nor does he see this timing as a cause for near-term concern. “The U.S. is extremely well positioned in 2020,” he explains. “The economy continues to prove itself to be very resilient. We’re in a safe spot right now but in a mature position within the cycle. This is also the longest expansion in history, so we have to understand what the late-cycle implications are and make …
Talks of tariffs and trade wars have dominated the news lately as the U.S. negotiates abroad over everything from immigration deals with Mexico to intellectual property protection (or lack thereof) in China. Though a deal was reached with Mexico earlier this month, an agreement has yet to be made with China. Even if the two countries do reach amicable terms, what kind of an impact will these types of trade wars and levies have stateside? “If the trade war challenge continues for too long or the U.S. experiences a retaliating …
Malls are not dead, but the formula has certainly changed, notes Carmen Spinoso, CEO of Spinoso Real Estate Group. That’s because there is no formula any longer when it comes to these assets. The one-size-fits-all approach no longer works, but that doesn’t mean winning strategies can’t be found. These strategies, Spinoso asserts, vary based on demographics, consumer profiles, existing retailers and competition within the market. He believes today’s strategy is part art and part science, but reinvigorating these spaces can be done. Spinoso is in the middle of two such …
Much of the spotlight surrounding in-demand tenants at today’s shopping centers is focused on food and beverage and entertainment users. This is a solid strategy, agrees Steven Maksin, founder and CEO of Moonbeam Capital Investments, but it should not be the only initiative. Instead, these tenants should round out a larger roster that includes other internet-resistant industries. This can boil down to services and alternative uses, as Maksin explains. Maksin and his team have had great success introducing everything from DMVs to creative offices, police academies, colleges and medical users …
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 …