By DAVID MOIN

Source: http://www.wwd.com/retail-news/trends-analysis/icsc-preview-remaking-malls-in-an-internet-era-7291425

In an expanding digital world, mall owners and operators once feared the worst — extinction.

While that’s not what’s happening, they are at a tipping point, seeking formats and ideas to reestablish the relevancy of their properties and to reverse declining traffic trends.

“The whole dynamics of brick-and-mortar is changing,” observed Andrew Jennings, the chief executive officer of Karstadt department stores in Germany.

“Traditional shopping centers have to rethink their layouts because the consumer today has limited time. That’s why the Internet is so popular because it is saving people time.”

“You can’t think of your property as just a mall. Think of it as the intersection of life,” said Michael P. Glimcher, chairman and ceo of Glimcher Realty Trust, which develops and operates mixed-use, open-air, enclosed and outlet centers including The Outlet Collection/Jersey Gardens in Elizabeth, N.J. “Mix things you do with things you buy,” Glimcher advised. “It’s about how you complement the Internet, providing things the Internet can’t provide, not so much how you compete with the Internet.”

Source: http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/u-commercial-real-estate-industry-140000801.html

San Francisco Once Again Top Ranked City for 2014; Industrial Sector Becomes Investor Favored Property Type
Report Highlights Potential “Best Bets” for Investors in 2014
CHICAGO, Nov. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — The U.S. real estate recovery is set to continue into 2014, with investors increasingly looking beyond some of the traditionally popular markets to secondary markets in search of higher yields, according to Emerging Trends in Real Estate® 2014, co-published by PwC US and the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

According to real estate market participants, the predicted growth in secondary markets is driven by investors searching for returns as opportunities in core markets become harder to find and the best assets become more expensive. As a result, the report anticipates that 2014 may be the year that many investors who have traditionally focused mainly on large established markets such as Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Washington, will be expanding their focus to other cities in order to protect capital. This trend, first noted in last year’s Emerging Trends report, is likely to build substantial momentum next year, given the steady pace of improvement in market fundamentals in secondary markets, and with more investments in those markets meeting investors’ risk/return metrics.