ELEMENTS OF CHANGE, STABILITY UNCERTAINTY IN THE RETAIL REAL ESTATE MARKET

Forecasts of radical change in retail real-estate greatly exaggerate what is likely to happen if the concern is with the next couple of decades. Elements of stability and uncertainty should restrain the forces of change that are out there. Beyond 2020 is another matter. By the middle of the 21st century, much if not most of our spending on consumer goods is likely to involve an electronic connection in one way or another. While the shape of those connections remains to be seen, it seems clear that they could come to dominate our shopping behavior. The retail real-estate landscape, while consisting of some of today's features, will change in ways that could subsequently be classified as radical.