The brick-and-mortar pharmaceutical space might be the next retail segment to undergo a transition, GlobeSt.com found out during an interview with Barbara Armendariz, president of Sharpline Commercial Partners, on the retail market. It is no secret that retail has been evolving has consumer needs change and ecommerce add competition. We sat down with her for an exclusive interview to find out what to expect from the retail market in 2018, which tenants are growing and which ones are in danger—and how she is advising her clients.

GlobeSt.com: What is your outlook for LA retail this year?

Barbara Armendariz: Retail has been undergoing a rapid evolution that has captured the attention of not only the greater commercial real estate community, but consumers as well. E-commerce and bricks-and-mortar are beginning to work in a more streamlined and symbiotic relationship. E-commerce companies once vowed never to open a physical store, however, now we begin to see more and more e-commerce tenants embracing brick-and-mortar. As these two platforms continue to merge and learn to understand each other, it adds another layer to the retail evolution. Perhaps one of the best timely examples is Amazon Books, a brick-and-mortar store. Amazon has opened a dozen of these stores nationally including one at the newly re-opened Westfield Century City Mall.