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 …
Videos
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 …
Moreno Valley: Hub for Growth and Opportunity
Located in Southern California’s Inland Empire, Moreno Valley has emerged as a significant growth center and a friendly home to retail. As highlighted by Melissa McClain, head of marketing & business attraction for the city, the area’s robust development is driven by substantial job creation and strategic planning. “Truly the catalyst for the growth in Moreno Valley has been jobs. We’ve created more than 34,000 jobs in the last eleven years. And because of that, we now have more than 7,700 single-family and multifamily residential units that are either …
The Feb. 27 Shopping Center Business webinar “Inside the Restructuring of a Retailer” detailed early warning signs for retailers in distress, as well as decision-making processes and strategies to restructure inside or outside of Chapter 11. What is needed for a successful restructuring? What kind of roles do firms retained in bankruptcy cases play in arranging prep work, navigating competing stakeholder agendas and arranging critical payment dates and short-term liquidity management? Learn more from this brief one-hour discussion that covers both the headlines and the behind-the-scenes process of restructuring for retailers. Click …
Leasing activity, occupancy and capital markets demand for multi-tenant retail remain strong, but interest rate hikes have brought transactions to a halt. “On the supply side, we just aren’t seeing a lot of listings out there,” says Patrick Kelley, associate vice president with Northmarq. “There is not a lot of activity in terms of sales,” explains Ernest DesRochers, senior vice president and managing director with Northmarq. “Buyers are looking for shorter-term financing, being able to prepay with little or no penalty, and hoping to take advantage of lower rates in …
“Retailers are doing well, but growth is challenging as there isn’t much space to be had,” says Greg Eisenman, managing director of retail tenant services at Franklin Street. There is a major appetite for deals, but interest rates and construction costs have made development difficult, so it is taking longer for retailers to find space and close deals. The challenges are part of the overall historical retail cycle, explains Eisenman. “As brokers, we have to get a lot more creative, and just continue to dig deeper and harder. Nothing’s coming …
Sandy Sigal believes in a holistic approach to the properties he’s acquired. He pairs tech-savvy data gathering to understand trends and opportunities with a focus on creating shopping experiences consumers crave and connection with their communities. This strategy is essential to making NewMark Merrill’s projects into successes, including the company’s latest California projects: the Rialto Village shopping center in the Inland Empire, which just completed preleasing, and the Corbin & Parthenia shopping center in the San Fernando Valley area, which is slated for renovations. Knowing your customers allows you to account for their retail needs and desires …