We asked: Which retail and/or restaurant tenants do you predict will be especially “hot” as we head into the end of 2021/early 2022?
Michael Hirschfeld – Vice Chairman, National Retail Tenant Services, JLL
Traditional clothing and footwear retailers should see an uptick in business as people “formalize” their wardrobes for face-to-face meetings, the office and school. We all have our work-from-home collections, and while super comfortable, perhaps they are not appropriate for being in the world at large. I do think we will start to see a number of retailers latch on to the trends we have seen with online fashion brands — such as Twillory and Perk, for example — for more comfortable pants and slacks with more stretch, but for more traditional business looks. For F&B I think there will continue to be new healthy food offerings, with fresh greens, grains and GMO-free brands likely seeing an uptick. I also think new sit-down casual restaurants will take advantage of the large amount of secondgen restaurant spaces that are available. The hottest fast-casual groups, like Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, will continue their rapid expansion. Home furnishings, DIY, and mattress/ bedding stores will benefit from people being that much more willing to come to a store or showroom to find the “perfect” piece or to test a bedding system or mattress before buying.
Jim Farrell — SVP/Market Leader, Charleston, SRS Real Estate Partners
We’ve read a lot lately about most demographic segments moving toward “athleisure” wear, but some are predicting that as more employees go back to the office, that will wane. It won’t. Retailers like Gap — with their Athleta brand — and Lululemon Athletica and Fabletics will continue to introduce more stylized clothing lines that will be perfectly fine to wear to the office.
James Famularo – President, Meridian Retail Leasing
I think it will be ghost kitchens, urgent care centers, fast-casual QSRs and hybrid concepts blending multiple uses.
