ICSC RECon 2019 Predictions

Posted on May 13, 2019

The largest gathering of retail real estate professionals on earth, RECon, is about to take place in the city of lights, Las Vegas, Nevada. At this year’s event, leading developers, owners, brokers, and retailers will conduct a year’s worth of business under one roof, in record time.

RECon 2019

Today the market is truly changing the way retail real estate is utilized. With big box stores downsizing and physical retailers shifting their focus, developers and property owners are turning to creative measures to revive empty storefronts. The RECon conference at the Las Vegas Convention Center & Westgate Hotel will house eager retail owners, developers, and influencers looking to creatively discuss new ways to use retail space from May 19-22.

What can you expect to see at RECon 2019?

The retail landscape and the real estate industry is changing at a rapid pace, and the focus of RECon 2019 will be around the emerging disruption taking over the traditional space. At RECon 2019 you will be hearing about what the growth of the market looks like and what retailers are searching for as far as leases and spaces go. Some of the significant trends we expect to see at RECon 2019 are:

QSR GROWTH

As retailers are still looking to expand into different markets, I believe the attention of this year’s event will focus on QSR’s, discount type retailers, and personal service projects. I think with the stability of the current market; we will witness more conversation around the retail disruption and where the industry is headed over the next five to ten years.

  • Alan Stern, Friedman – Michigan
2020 Expansion Strategies

National retailers and tenant reps are expected to begin discussing their 2019-2020 rollout expansion strategies. This includes new concept stores and rebranding plans, particularly from larger retailers. In addition, as the market remains at its peak, lenders will become more open to discuss their future lending plans while developers will show more willingness to meet with brokers to discuss both growth and sustainability strategies.

  • Mark Zeidman, Friedman – Houston
Networking, Network & Network

RECon has always been a great place to reconnect and put a face to the many industry names you corresponded with over the years. Between scheduled meetings and working on solidifying pending deals/leases RECon 2019 is three days of hard work. For the Chicago market, my main goal is to meet with as many commercial real estate developers/owners located in or near the Chicago market as I can to further develop a strategy for the future of the retail real estate industry.

  • Kellen Duggan, Friedman – Chicago

Friedman at RECon 2019

“Friedman is excited to have such a large group of retail real estate professionals attending this year’s conference. We believe this year’s event will be well attended and productive,” said Andrew Ledger, Managing Director of Brokerage Services.

Friedman will be tackling RECon in full force, with experts from our various regional offices. Be sure to follow us on social for more RECon 2019 coverage and key takeaways after the event.

Learn more about Friedman and RECon 2019. Hope to see you there!