[IMGCAP(4)]

LAS VEGAS—It wasn't your typical press meet-and-greet, perched as we were 520 feet above the Vegas strip in this town's High Roller Ferris Wheel. But then, this might be a very different RECon, and the executives of JLL, who hosted the event, are clearly aware that this is no longer your parent's retail market.

For indeed, there's been a dramatic shift in the tone of the conference even from as little as a year ago, when many of the real estate executives we spoke with expressed a clear “us-versus-them” mindset, the “them” in that equation being internet sales.

[IMGCAP(1)]

“It's still a surprise to me that people still really believe there's a difference between online and brick-and-mortar retail,” said Greg Maloney, CEO of JLL's retail operation. That stance constitutes a major distinction from years past, and it was one echoed by those in his team.

“Retailers who figure out that e-commerce is the front door of their store will win,” said Naveen Jaggi, president of retail brokerage, calling for a tear-down of the perceived barriers between the two forms of shopping. He added that it simply no longer matters where and when a shopper shops, a fact that more traditionally minded retailers simply have to embrace to remain relevant.

[IMGCAP(2)]

Maloney and Jaggi head a team that has come together in the last few weeks and reflects a commitment to push JLL's retail initiative into the long term. That team also includes leasing director Holly Rome and retail development director Bill Moston.

The attitude, and the newly forged team go hand-in-hand, of course, part of what Maloney calls JLL's 2020 plan, to deliver retail service for this new shopping dynamic. “It was a plan we started to put together in 2010,” he explained, to determine where we needed to be in 2020 and what our clients need from us.”

[IMGCAP(3)]

It's a great time to be asking that question, given the confusion that still apparently exists in the merger of bricks and clicks. Or, as Maloney put it: “It's a great opportunity for leadership."