Food Halls Help Urban Retail Landlords Maintain Competitive Edge, By Donna Mitchell, National Real Estate Investor
“Food halls are considered the newest and hottest way to combine dining, entertainment and even locally sustainable eating in one place. More than one third of consumers, 34 percent surveyed in a recent AlixPartners study, said they look forward to dining out more often in the next 12 months, according to the research firm’s November 2017 update on the sector. That sounds like encouraging news for landlords around the country who are rapidly expanding food halls in urban shopping districts.”
Third Quarter Brings an Uptick in Office Leasing in Tech-Heavy Markets, By Patricia Kirk, National Real Estate Investor
“Strong tenant demand in the third quarter of the year caused leasing activity to spike 11.1 percent to a two-year volume high of 62.4 million sq. ft., according to a third quarter 2017 office report from real estate services firm JLL, which attributes the bump largely to new product coming online in supply-constrained markets.”
Economy Watch: Meta-Ranking of Amazon HQ2 Race Puts Atlanta on Top, By D.C. Stribling, Commercial Property Executive
“Sperling’s BestPlaces collected 18 lists and ranking of potential locations, determining that Atlanta’s ability to absorb an expected 50,000 workers and other factors make it the No.1 contender for the new Amazon headquarters.”
Is Black Friday Still Relevant For Brick-And-Mortar Retail?, By Bisnow Team, Bisnow
“Black Friday, the infamous U.S. shopping holiday known for bad behavior among deal seekers, who traditionally line up well before the crack of dawn to churn billions of dollars into the economy, may be on its deathbed. But it’s not dead yet. That’s because, despite data that shows shoppers think Black Friday is the most stressful time to shop — not to mention the meteoric rise of e-commerce that fuels the apocalyptic foretelling of brick-and-mortar retail’s demise — Black Friday is still the No. 1 sales weekend of the year.”
News Abandoned Warehouses Are Being Transformed Into Popular Mixed-Use Developments, By Lara O’Keefe, Bisnow
“Outdated warehouses of the past are being resurrected to accommodate a new future. But that future is edging some people out of town. Sears was once large enough to require 1M SF warehouses and distribution centers across the country, but a series of circumstances, including an urban crisis between the 1960s and ’90s, caused the retailer to abandon the massive structures. Now, developers are using the empty vessels as a base to create the much-desired live-work-play dynamic.”
Dining and Other Amenities Boosting the Modern Shopping Center, By Catherine Gregory, Urban Land Institute
“Trading Up: Dining, Leisure, Amenities, and the New Shopping Centre is the second report from the ULI Retail and Entertainment Council to look at the role that food and beverage (F&B) and leisure have in supporting shopping centers as they adapt to retail sales moving online. This year, the research extends that topic to consider how the addition of community amenities is also emerging among shopping center owners.”