Retail

Round table: What comes first - footfall or retailers?

The rapidly-changing habits of consumers that were disrupted irreversibly by the pandemic and how landlords can maximise their retail property portfolios was just one of the topics our surveyor Alicia Lewis talked about as part of an exclusive round table panel held in Nottingham recently.

Alicia spoke at length about what comes first, the desirable retail brands or an attractive shopping and leisure destination? And also how hard landlords and their agents are having to work to attract brands into units?

Local Data Company data shows that there has been a continued rise in “persistent” vacancies in shopping centres (where units have been unoccupied for more than three years), currently standing at 7.2%, compared with just 5.3% for high street retail – an arena where Alicia and NG specialise.

Other topics explored, included:

– What factors might attract a retailer to an out-of-town location, over a city centre
shopping destination;

– How important it is for a city centre shopping centre or leisure destination to invest time embedding itself within the local community;

– What role does technology play in the bricks and mortar shopping experience?

Findings from the debate will be included in a whitepaper style report – we’ll share with you when it’s published.

In the meantime, if you’d like advice on your retail property portfolio, please contact Alicia on 07517 905795 or email alicia@ng-cs.com