Our friends at the listing and research platform CoStar have released another interesting report on the impending retail apocalypse.
The Amazon Effect, and the societal retreat into robotic Instagrat lifestyles, is turning 2019 into the heaviest year ever for retail store closures. However. If you read between the lines, you see that while more stores are closing, less square footage is involved.
More than 10,000 stores have announced a closure this year, almost twice last year, and 3,000 more than during the downturn in 2008. Yet while last year saw 155 million square feet close, this year that space is down roughly 30%.
So it appears the Sears, Kmarts, JCPenneys, and similar anchor tenants of yesteryear have gone through their New Economy purge, and now it’s time for the GNCs, Gymborees and Payless stores. E-commerce has its sights on 10,000 sqft and under this year.
But more importantly, these numbers do NOT show a death knell for retail. It’s really more of a cleansing and realigning. Deliverable retail goods — those that can’t be offered via a better user experience than direct-to-your-door convenience — are taking their mid-/small-/boutique stores down. But! There’s growth in the Un-Amazonable.
This includes personal services, restaurants, grocery/drug stores, fitness and sports, healthcare, and even movies and entertainment outlets. These retail establishments are all showing a healthy upward trend.
So. If you have a retail property — or you’re in the market to invest in one — but you’re uncertain about what tenants are promising and which might be at risk, then talk to us.
