ICSC Southeast Conference Review

CPD team members recently attended the ICSC Southeast Conference in Atlanta, GA. This event is one of many regional conferences held around the country each year for those in the Retail Commercial Real Estate industry. Attended by retailers, brokers, and developers alike; it is a great venue to get a sense of where the industry stands in the regions.

This year the Cobb Galleria Centre was abuzz with attendees from all over the Southeast. There was a feeling in the air of making things happen, matching properties with retailers and deals closing.  Of course, when you think of retail these days one of the first things people think about is the effect of online shopping. I was lucky enough to attend one of the many sessions that occur during the conference, this one focused specifically on the “Amazon-effect” and how it is affecting brick and mortar retail growth. The panel that spoke during this session was made up of different industry executives that make the key decisions to purchase or finance retail spaces. The general consensus that I gleaned from this session was that brick and mortar retail is changing but it is definitely here to stay. It is becoming more of an experience and consumers are wanting something more from their shopping trips. There will always be certain categories of retail that will do best with in-person shopping but as we move forward parts of that experience will likely change. It’s a great time to be in this industry to be able to adapt and help facilitate that change.  As your footprint and needs change for your store, reach out to CPD to help you to create added value for unused or under-utilized spaces.

All in all, it was a great conference and we look forward to attending more around the country this year. If you will be attending one of the ICSC conferences and would like to meet with one of our team members to discuss your needs please let us know, we look forward to meeting you.