SUNRISE, FL—Retailers are moving away from the big box mall mentality and becoming more creative in the ways they engage consumers to ensure their overall experience at town centers is a memorable one. Those thoughts are according to Erick Collazo, VP of development for Metropica Holdings LLC.
Collazo, who spoke with GlobeSt.com last month surrounding the big ICSC RECon event in Las Vegas, says that retailers have found that they have to shift away from past trends to stay relevant with today's consumer expectations offer comprehensive experiences where they will want to spend their time rather than just one dimensional shopping centers.
“Another issue we are seeing is location. Retail centers that are located in remote areas are the ones that are struggling or even closing down while fortress properties or “class A” destination malls that are located in primary markets are experiencing the opposite and thriving and growing exponentially,” he tells GlobeSt.com. “In this same spirit, these fortress properties are nurturing their positions, attracting premier tenants and constantly creating new ways to engage consumers and move with the times.”
Fortress properties as well as brands themselves are reinventing themselves and adding components to the shopping experience such as entertainment, food and beverage offerings and social opportunities for connection and mingling, he explains. At Metropica, a 65-acre high urban street master-planned community in South Florida for example, the company built its project with “the prophetic vision of offering unique experiences for our visitors.”
According to Collazo, “projects such as Metropica are trying to attract retailers who will cater to the increasing demands of millennials and young professionals, who are at the helm of creating unique experiences for developers to meet. The tenant assemblage for Metropica is being meticulously curated to provide unique experiences not seen anywhere else in the neighboring area, which is attracting distinct non-traditional boutiques, chef-driven restaurants and entertainment venues to appease a wide range of preferences and lifestyles.”
Collazo explains that “the wave of the retail future is to create urban social centers where consumers will be able to partake in a varied set of experiences and engage them in creative ways. More and more, we are seeing retailers pairing up with different types of purveyors to offer comprehensive and varied opportunities for socialization and connectivity within one venue.”
SUNRISE, FL—Retailers are moving away from the big box mall mentality and becoming more creative in the ways they engage consumers to ensure their overall experience at town centers is a memorable one. Those thoughts are according to Erick Collazo, VP of development for Metropica Holdings LLC.
Collazo, who spoke with GlobeSt.com last month surrounding the big ICSC RECon event in Las Vegas, says that retailers have found that they have to shift away from past trends to stay relevant with today's consumer expectations offer comprehensive experiences where they will want to spend their time rather than just one dimensional shopping centers.
“Another issue we are seeing is location. Retail centers that are located in remote areas are the ones that are struggling or even closing down while fortress properties or “class A” destination malls that are located in primary markets are experiencing the opposite and thriving and growing exponentially,” he tells GlobeSt.com. “In this same spirit, these fortress properties are nurturing their positions, attracting premier tenants and constantly creating new ways to engage consumers and move with the times.”
Fortress properties as well as brands themselves are reinventing themselves and adding components to the shopping experience such as entertainment, food and beverage offerings and social opportunities for connection and mingling, he explains. At Metropica, a 65-acre high urban street master-planned community in South Florida for example, the company built its project with “the prophetic vision of offering unique experiences for our visitors.”
According to Collazo, “projects such as Metropica are trying to attract retailers who will cater to the increasing demands of millennials and young professionals, who are at the helm of creating unique experiences for developers to meet. The tenant assemblage for Metropica is being meticulously curated to provide unique experiences not seen anywhere else in the neighboring area, which is attracting distinct non-traditional boutiques, chef-driven restaurants and entertainment venues to appease a wide range of preferences and lifestyles.”
Collazo explains that “the wave of the retail future is to create urban social centers where consumers will be able to partake in a varied set of experiences and engage them in creative ways. More and more, we are seeing retailers pairing up with different types of purveyors to offer comprehensive and varied opportunities for socialization and connectivity within one venue.”
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Natalie Dolce
Natalie Dolce, editor-in-chief of GlobeSt.com and GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum, is responsible for working with editorial staff, freelancers and senior management to help plan the overarching vision that encompasses GlobeSt.com, including short-term and long-term goals for the website, how content integrates through the company’s other product lines and the overall quality of content. Previously she served as national executive editor and editor of the West Coast region for GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum, and was responsible for coverage of news and information pertaining to that vital real estate region. Prior to moving out to the Southern California office, she was Northeast bureau chief, covering New York City for GlobeSt.com. Her background includes a stint at InStyle Magazine, and as managing editor with New York Press, an alternative weekly New York City paper. In her career, she has also covered a variety of beats for M magazine, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, FashionLedge.com, and Co-Ed magazine. Dolce has also freelanced for a number of publications, including MSNBC.com and Museums New York magazine.
