Posted by:
FSPRetail ,
23 April 2012
Has the role of shops and the way they are run been fundamentally changed by internet shopping, smart phones and social media? The answer determines the appropriate retail asset management response to historically high vacancy rates. read more…
Tags:
GEOFF'S VIEW, RETAILERS, CENTRES
Posted by:
Hpratley ,
13 February 2012
The Local Data Company (LDC) has said the number of empty shops on UK High Streets is set to rise in 2012. The increase is expected to happen due to weak consumer confidence, rising unemployment and growing online sales. read more…
Tags:
RETAILERS, CENTRES, TOWN/SHOPPING CENTRES, FUTURE OF RETAILING, EMPTY SHOPS
Posted by:
FSPRetail ,
13 October 2011
FSP’s Ken Gunn is presenting some of his latest research at the ICSC European Outlet Conference in Milan this week. read more…
Tags:
CENTRES, RETAIL PROPERTY, FACTORY OUTLET CENTRES, EUROPE
Posted by:
FSPRetail ,
10 October 2011
Last week FSP Trainee Consultant Nick Jones attended the Accessible Retail Seminar and blogged about key points discussed. read more…
Tags:
CENTRES, TOWN/SHOPPING CENTRES, FUTURE OF RETAILING, FACTORY OUTLET CENTRES, HIGH STREET
Posted by:
FSPRetail ,
28 September 2011
UK retailing is undergoing changes that are structural rather than recession driven. Change creates opportunities as well as threats. Out-dated valuations make it more difficult for existing players than for new entrants to seize the UK retailing opportunities. read more…
Tags:
RETAILERS, CENTRES, E-TAILING, TOWN/SHOPPING CENTRES, FUTURE OF RETAILING, BCSC
Posted by:
FSPRetail ,
16 June 2011
Tuesday’s edition of the Times carried an article suggesting that town centres which are disproportionately reliant on the ‘squeezed middle’ of consumer lifestyles are ‘trading at the precipice’. Vacancy rates are high in towns which have strong concentrations of Secure Families (home owning families), Settled Suburbia (retired couples and empty nesters) and Post Industrial Families (low grade service workers). Spending growth is expected to lag behind towns with strong concentrations of Prosperous Professionals, Educated Urbanites, Aspiring Singles and Starting Out lifestyles.
Towns such as Bexleyheath, Blackpool and Wigan are identified amongst the places where future performance is under threat, whilst towns such as Edinburgh, Brighton and London’s King’s Road are suggested as places with a more positive future.
Of course, real life is not quite as simple as the article suggests. In recent years for example, ‘low growth’ Wigan has actually risen 14 places in CBRE’s national ranking of shopping destinations. An FSP shopper survey conducted in April 2011 showed that the town is expanding its retail catchment and attracting increasing numbers of wealthier shoppers. read more…
Tags:
RETAILERS, CENTRES, TOWN/SHOPPING CENTRES, FUTURE OF RETAILING
Posted by:
Hpratley ,
01 April 2011
I went recently to Northampton to visit Legal & General’s two day exhibition in the Grosvenor Centre.
The exhibition outlined the plans for the Centre and gauged what the residents of Northampton want in their town.
FSP Director Jo Hewson has worked closely with Legal & General on the re-development project and was there to help explain the plans to members of the public and to register their comments.
The Grosvenor Centre provides two levels of shops in the centre of Northampton between the bus station and the Market Square. read more…
Tags:
CENTRES, TOWN/SHOPPING CENTRES, GENERAL
Posted by:
FSPRetail ,
08 March 2011
FSP looks beyond traditional indicators of retail performance to give clients the advice they require.
With government austerity measures gathering momentum, 2011 is likely to be a difficult year for areas with high levels of public sector employment. FSP is often asked by clients how these measures could affect their business. read more…
Tags:
RETAILERS, CENTRES, GENERAL, SHOPPERS, SOCIAL COMMENTARY