The retail marketplace continues to undergo a period of retrenchment and reinvention, the likes of which we have not seen since the rise of the suburbs starting in the late 1950s. The new period of disruption has been fueled by the rise of e-commerce, in particular Amazon, with the emergence of smartphones and tablets acting as a major accelerator since 2010. Combined with a consumer base that downshifted into frugality mode during the Great Recession, the current marketplace is one of the most challenging retail landscapes of the past 50 years. In spite of these challenges, overall shopping center vacancy has actually continued to trend downward. Despite a significant increase in retail closures (through the third quarter Cushman & Wakefield has tracked over 4,000 major chain closures for 2016, surpassing 2010’s record of 3,600), as well as multiple notable bankruptcies, the disruption has not equally impacted all retail sectors. Digital media has effectively wiped out the video and record store sectors while creating major challenges for the remaining major bookstore chains. The consumer electronics and office supplies categories continue to face major headwinds from e-commerce, as do a number of other retail categories ranging from gifts to home furnishings. The …
