By Alistair Parker After half a century of decline, are department stores merely the dinosaurs of a past retail era or are they possibly the harbingers of future urban destinations? Despite large scale closures over the past decade in North America and Europe, there have been a surprising number of new store openings. Companies like Karstadt, … Continued

By David Smith What makes a city attractive to occupiers? Markets across the country grapple with this question in an attempt to be the destination of choice for new companies and organizations looking to expand to a new office location. Just as employees are benefiting from a tight job market, companies currently have leverage in many … Continued

By David Smith “Millennials are killing [insert item]…” Generational descriptions are often broad stereotypes utilized (by those not in the generation in question) to identify everything “wrong” with the newest generation of workers or students. In this way, millennials have been blamed for destroying numerous products and industries (e.g., cereal, bars of soap, marriage, home ownership, … Continued

By Richard Hamilton Retailers may face significant challenges when expanding further into online/eCommerce business. Some of these may involve issues in supply chain management. Probably one of the largest obstacles is developing an effective fulfillment strategy. When it comes to making this decision, it is advisable to review the possible benefits of using a 3PL (third-party … Continued

By Despina Katsikakis, Alex Spilger and Allison Kim It’s no secret that the health and well-being of your employees tie directly to their overall productivity and ultimately your company’s bottom line. Or that providing a healthy environment is critical to attracting top talent in this increasingly competitive environment.  Most companies are well aware of these facts … Continued

By David Smith Trends in office space usage since the Great Recession point toward tighter layouts. Occupiers have been looking for ways to shrink the amount of square footage allocated per employee. Currently, the national average is 194 square feet per employee, which is down 8.3% from 2009. The pace was especially strong in the first four years … Continued

By David Smith There are opportunities coming for occupiers to find softer commercial real estate markets across the country. Factors driving this trend include increased construction in some markets and a pending slowdown in hiring that decreases demand for space, even as companies continue to shrink the amount of square footage allocated per each employee. All of this … Continued

By Drew Arvay Medical office buildings and other healthcare facilities follow strict protocols for cleanliness, accessibility, and maintenance. But can a building actually improve the health of its occupants?  Two major healthy building certifications — WELL Building Standard® and Fitwel® — dare to do just that. The two building certifications focus on the health and well-being … Continued

By David Smith Ride-sharing options are on the rise, and more employees than ever before are working from home or remotely. And yet, in 2018, the competition for landing a parking spot outside an office building is fierce. The average monthly cost for an office building parking spot ended 2017 at $183, which was up 6.4% … Continued

By Randolph Borron There are hundreds of factors to consider when choosing a location for a new data center development, and each factor is weighted differently depending on the company’s business plan or purpose of the data center. Typically, the most important considerations for site selection decisions are taxes and access to power and robust fiber … Continued

By David Smith Everyone, it would seem, is focused on experience as a differentiator in their business. Customer experience. User experience. Employee experience. Customer experience is the way that retail stores are competing with eCommerce disruption. Technology firms obsess over user experience to ensure intuitive software is pleasurable and personal. Companies engaged in a historically competitive … Continued

By Garrick Brown Malls are continuously being faced with challenges in today’s retail climate— anchor tenants closing, chain stores trying to get out of long leases, stale food courts, online shopping, and consumers no longer making the trek. So how do you distinguish between Class A malls, which are still very much thriving, and the rest of … Continued