In somewhat of a recurring theme from this author (yes, me), I will continue to bang the drum that quality retail is far from dead...
In his latest annual review of Top 10 Global Stores, Matthew Brown highlights the innovation and acceleration of change within the retail landscape and provides the evidence that whilst we have seen the demise of some traditional department store "names", there are always new concepts looking to step in and fill these voids.
Real Estate can rightly be accused of being somewhat glacial in terms of its responsiveness and desire to change but that label cannot be attached to retail / leisure in the current climate.
Coming out of the pandemic we are seeing significant deal volume with new and innovative store designs and concepts across the board.
I'll be looking forward to see if any Forsters deals made it into the next list given the deals happening right now and those in the pipeline for the Forsters Retail Team.
Department stores, far from extinct, are reinventing themselves as exciting, expert, curated and socially responsible destinations. Hospitality, on hold during the pandemic, is back as a driving force in retail.