Retail Brick and Mortar Future Looks Promising

According to Hillary Steinberg, senior advisor of MDL Group/CORFAC International, people are seeing items advertised specifically to their interests and then are heading to the shopping center for instant shopping gratification.

LAS VEGAS—The commercial real estate sector has been hearing about the death of retail since on-line shopping became popular in the early 2000s. So said Hillary Steinberg, senior advisor of MDL Group/CORFAC International, who GlobeSt.com exclusively caught up with around the ICSC Here, We Go. 2021 national conference last week in Las Vegas. Looking ahead, she says, nothing could be further from the truth.

“We see retail soaring by as much as 13.5% over 2020,” she explains. “People want to get out of their homes and go shopping, they want to see items in person and they want to eat at restaurants while they make their purchases.”

She notes that people are seeing items advertised specifically to their interests on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and then are heading to the shopping center for instant shopping gratification. In addition, she says that “New, unique and specialized retailers and restauranteurs are opening with the mindset that they want to own their own store rather than work for someone else.”

She explains that heading into the holiday’s, consumers were buying high-demand items early in the season due to the fear that supply chains will not be able to produce enough goods to meet demand through the end of the year.

Check out other ICSC and retail stories below from last week that you might have missed, including other exclusive interviews with attendees on the show floor and don’t forget to nominate now for our influencers in retail submissions.

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