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  Challenging times, continued re-tuning, and celebrating the few successes. There were many key insights to learn from this group of industry leaders, gathered in Dallas recently for the International Retail Design Conference. New strategies for value and environmentally conscious consumers and brands, localization and regionalism, global retail development in markets like China, India, Middle East, Latin America, experience based retail design, and community connections were discussed in depth. Here is what some of them had to say during our 3 days in Dallas together. From Burt Tansky, CEO of Neiman Marcus “Once you acquire a taste for luxury it…

    Today, here in Dallas, leading global retailers, strategists and designers will convene for the annual IRDC conference – beginning with a keynote opening by Burt Tansky, President and CEO of Neiman Marcus.         Retail markets are over one year into plummeting sales figures, with recent results sliding along a slower decline. This cycle has caused a great deal of reflection and the development of new strategic directions for many industry leaders.        I expect this creative and dynamic group will be brimming with new ideas and energy as they stride forward into the changed marketplace.  Change will be the key in…

Or so those in the real estate investment management sector must be feeling.  As the music has stopped, are there sufficient chairs? The extraordinary rise of the institutional investor in real estate for the past twenty plus years spawned an equivalent rise in the number of real estate investment managers of all sizes and types: equity, debt (whole loan and securitized), securities, international, sector specific, geography specific, etc.  Now we see a precipitous drop in the level of new capital to be provided by such institutions as they face issues of liquidity, and consequently we may well see a corresponding…

  Two days from today, Neiman Marcus celebrates the opening of their new store in Bellevue with a black tie gala, followed by opening of the new luxury collection of shops, restaurants and clubs at The Bravern. The Seattle region has had an up and down relationship with designer brands in the past, yet the demographics continue to show that this market is ready. The Bravern is strategically located in close proximity to the wealthiest zip codes in this region. Microsoft has already moved in to the 2 office towers, and the luxury residential towers designed by NBBJ are nearing completion.   The shop collection has been…

  Due to the depth of the recession and complexity of issues leading to the global financial crisis, government intervention and stimulus have escalated to unprecedented levels. In addition to the Fed’s interest-rate reduction to almost zero, the government’s unconventional initiatives have helped spark market activity. These include the doubling of the Fed’s balance sheet over the past two years as result of various rescue packages and liquidity injection and programs such as Cash for Clunkers and tax credit for first-time homebuyers, which targeted trouble spots in the economy. These programs have not compensated for the unprecedented drop in consumer…

  This week, while working across China on a series of new development projects, major green economic initiatives are front page news.  Back in the US, domestic development community struggles with financial market challenges, along with the cost/value assessment of new green building technologies and materials. China’s aggressive development expansion marches on with rapid advancement in sustainable building. The pace of this shift in China is fueled by government policy, subsidies and private business growth, based on continued domestic market development.  Increasing focus on incentives for carbon emission reduction and green energy technologies are not just impacting the direction of industries in China, but rippling across the…

  During a time when most retail markets across the region remain stagnant, Downtown Miami’s is surprisingly enjoying relative growth. An area widely recognized as the epicenter of where boom turned to bust is turning a corner, and ironically, the downturn is serving as its catalyst. As price discounting continues and demand for urban living remains high, renters and buyers are flooding the Downtown market to take advantage of the killer deals and centralized urban location, in turn, creating a built-in customer base for retail entrepreneurs to capitalize on. In July of this year, Downtown Miami’s Central Business District welcomed…

By Dr. Peter Kozel Senior Managing Director FirstService Williams New York City Mounting evidence suggests that the New York City office sector is scraping along the bottom of its cycle and laying the foundation for an improvement in operating performance. The property market itself is offering some of this evidence. Additionally, data from the economy and business sector are providing greater clarity about the dimensions of the contraction in business activity plus what are likely to be the contours of the eventual economic recovery. Demand for office space evaporated during the first four months of 2009, with leasing volume declining…