LAS VEGAS—CICS – Right here, We will. 2021 is fast approaching. The Las Vegas conference will include networking with dealmakers, changemakers and innovators, gatherings and meeting like-minded professionals. GlobeSt.com sat down with some retail heavyweights to talk all things retail.
Michelle Schierberl, senior vice president of Stream, for example, tells GlobeSt.com that the retail market is doing much better than the average person thinks.
“There’s been so much press about store closures and online sales that people think malls are a thing of the past,” she says. “However, nationwide outdoor center occupancy is 91% occupancy today compared to 93.5% in 2016.”
According to Schierberl, store sales are actually at record highs for many national retailers. She pointed out that there is a 7.8% decrease in retail usage with existing centers nationwide.
“The industry has an optimistic outlook,” she said, adding that the ICSC convention in December will allow for personal interaction between retailers and owners and the many professionals who support the industry, which will in turn create new rental and sales activities.
Schierberl isn’t the only retail expert to share this view. In a recent article highlighting the convention, Sandy Sigal, president and CEO of NewMark Merrill Cos., told GlobeSt.com that he sees the state of retail as very promising. “Across our portfolio, which includes the West Coast, Colorado and the Midwest, we’ve seen very rapid traffic growth and record sales for many of our tenants,” he previously said.
Click here to read more expert thoughts on the state of the industry and their thoughts for the upcoming convention and check back regularly on GlobeSt.com for more coverage around the ICSC event.
