Some thoughts on the future of retail design. in no particular order.

1. fourteen slides on retail

2. In the US, half the buildings that will
exist in 2030, do not exist today
(and 100% of this new building could be accomodated
on existing underutilized sites)

3. bricks & mortar are dead
long live bricks & mortar
omnichannel
crosschannel
multichannel

4. the mushy middle
is a hard place to be

5. the future is mixed

6. demographics
it’s complicated

7. the rise and rise of the rest
will change everything

8. 420 million sqft of shopping centers are
under construction in the world’s major cities
half this construction is in China alone
by 2030 there will be 221 cities in China with a
population over 1 million. # of US cities with a
population over 1 million: 9

9. it’s still about the
experience economy

10. craft
authentically made
locally sourced
reconnects us to place

11. tactical retailing
pop-ups, food trucks,
farmers markets, micro-clusters

12. mass customization
hand over control to the customer

13. sustainability
not yet in the consumer concious
but
retailers don’t want to be on the wrong side of
the tipping point

14. gravity still applies
retail is an asset
with investors looking for
consistent returns

15. but it’s not about business as usual
big ideas are back