Retail landlords have a new tenant option: urgent care facilities. These operators have been leasing up former big box locations in retail centers and strip malls throughout California, according to Andrew Fogg, a partner at Cox, Castle Nicholson. While the demand is high, these deals also come with zoning and parking challenges, but they are also helping to drive occupancy at some retail centers that have seen significant vacancies as a result of store closures. To find out more about this trend, we sat down with Fogg for an exclusive interview. Here, he tells us the benefits, challenges and why this trend is here to stay.

GlobeSt.com: What is driving urgent care demand for retail spaces?

Andrew Fogg: There are a number of reasons. Obviously there have been pressures on the retail environment because of online shopping, and there are retail spaces available These shopping centers are also easy to fit into and have a lot of convenient supporting uses, such as a pharmacy or grocery store, that will drive foot traffic. So, there tend to be a lot of synergies in terms of how they are operated and space available that makes them a potential good fit. There are also some challenges, as well.