CHICAGO—As reported in GlobeSt.com, participants at DLA Piper's 14th Global Real Estate Summit in Chicago last week were tossing around ideas on how to handle the challenges to brick-and-mortar retail presented by e-commerce. But it's a challenge finding retailers that can excite interest from today's shoppers.
“We're seeing a lot of bad companies that are not doing well,” said Jeff T. Blau, chief executive officer of Related Cos. And those that are doing well tend to be luxury outlets that believe they can dictate terms to landlords. “It's a rough environment for developers.”
But he also strongly believes that the internet challenge has forced the retail sector to get creative. As a result, “it's not dead. It's changing for the better.” Related's strategy is to seek out retailers “no one has ever heard of before,” preferably those that attract shoppers with an exciting environment.
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Brian J. Rogal
Brian J. Rogal is a Chicago-based freelance writer with years of experience as an investigative reporter and editor, most notably at The Chicago Reporter, where he concentrated on housing issues. He also has written extensively on alternative energy and the payments card industry for national trade publications.
