Strip Malls: The Least Glamorous Segment In Retail Is Among The Sector`s Strongest Performers

Retail real estate in 2017 can be best described in two words: “in flux.”

Vacancies across the nation have risen as big-box retailers and department stores announced closures and the construction of new product simultaneously slowed. But experts agree that retail real estate’s fundamentals remain strong. Mall operators continue to adapt to the changing landscape, and high-traffic, urban metro markets remain the best-performing in the sector.

Lost in the conversation about retail’s bifurcation is the health of the strip mall — the under-100K SF red-headed stepsibling to luxury retail and the shopping mall...

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RSK: I love this. 10 years ago they were maligned with vacancies and upkeep was a problem. Today most of them in good locations are thriving. The kick back to Big Boxes. Restaurants seem to do well in these places as do small service retailers. They are a landlords dream right now....as long as they understand depreciation is real and need to do maintenance and upkeep...