Recent Articles

• As Amazon Enters the Market, U.S. Grocers Focus on One-Stop Shopping

  August 28, 2017

  In addition to Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods, an enormous amount of movement has occurred in the grocery sector in the past year, as regional chains expand into new markets and European brands enter the United States.

• In Brief: Apple’s High-Yielding Retail Space

  August 9, 2017

  Sales per square foot at all but a few public retailers have declined to an average of $325 ($3,498 per sq m), down from nearly $375 ($4,036 per sq m) in the early 2000s, according to research by CoStar. But while e-commerce has been disruptive to traditional retailers, several companies, including Apple, Tiffany, and lululemon, have managed to increase sales.

• Retail-Led Mixed Use in an Age of E-Commerce Outside Shanghai

  The LifeHub@Kunshan complex, just a brief train ride from Shanghai, integrates workforce housing, shopping, entertainment, e-commerce—and local culture.

• Raleigh’s Cameron Village Shifting with the Times on Retail

  June 12, 2017

  Built in 1949, the Cameron Village shopping center of Raleigh, North Carolina, was one of the first in the Southeast. Decades later, Cameron Village is still thriving, with several new mixed-use developments adding increased density and energy.

• Craft Breweries Bring Placemaking and Economic Development to St. Louis Neighborhoods

  June 5, 2017

  There was a time before Prohibition when St. Louis had more than 40 breweries. By the 1980s, however, that number had dwindled to just two. Today, experts speaking at a ULI panel said St. Louis’s smaller brewery scene is again thriving, with 50 separate breweries operating locally.

• Legalized Marijuana Sector Creates Opportunity, Special Requirements

  May 12, 2017

  Commercialized marijuana is big business and is expanding as a new asset class at an astronomical rate, according to a ULI Spring Meeting panel of industry investors, operators, and legal experts on the state of the cannabis business and real estate opportunities being created in the sector. Twenty-eight states have legalized the sale of medical marijuana, and eight states plus the District of Columbia allow recreational marijuana to some degree.

• More Food Choices, Higher-End Offerings Help Reboot Retail for a Digital Age

  May 10, 2017

  Contrary to some predictions, e-commerce has not made brick-and-mortar retail a thing of the past. Instead, as attendees at a ULI Spring Meeting session learned, shopping and dining are making critical contributions to activating urban spaces and helping shopping centers continuously evolve.

• Four Trends Driving the Shifting Demand for Traditional Bank Branches

  May 1, 2017

  According to JLL’s 2017 Banking Outlook, increased use of mobile banking could decrease the need for traditional bank branches by 20 percent in the next five years, although some underserved markets are still seeing new construction.

• How Innovative Retailers Stay Ahead of What Customers Want

  April 26, 2017

  A recent ULI Northwest event featured presentations and panel discussion on what it will take to bring the next generation of shoppers into retail locations. Starbucks and Nordstrom executives presented insights on how their businesses are evolving.