NEWPORT BEACH, CA—Since its purchase of Whole Foods this past summer, Amazon is finding it quite a bit more difficult to innovate in this new environment largely governed by preexisting binding legal agreements than in the freewheeling world of online commerce, Landmark Capital Advisors managing director Adam Deermount tells GlobeSt.com. Deermount has an inside perspective on many aspects of CRE, so we spoke with him about some of the issues he has noted that the online giant is facing and how it is navigating the unfamiliar brick-and-mortar grocery space.

GlobeSt.com: What problems is Amazon facing with regard to Whole Foods' leases?

Deermount: When Amazon purchased Whole Foods, many—including yours truly—assumed that the e-commerce behemoth would be able to do as it liked with existing Whole Foods stores, making a relatively clean transition into the brick-and-mortar retail space. However, Amazon is finding it quite a bit more difficult to innovate in this new environment largely governed by pre-existing binding legal agreements than in the freewheeling world of online commerce.