Retail News Blog

The Portland Metro Area (PMA) apartment market was experiencing low vacancy trends (5% and below in most areas) and increasing rental rates from 2005 through late 2008. Since that time; however, the rental market has seen steady decline in rental rates and increases in concessions and vacancy due to the national recession that has seen [...]

Now that the reality of the credit market crisis, which really began in July 2007, has fully taken effect, 2009 has been a period of repositioning within the market.  Ironically, the repositioning will be a “return-to-the-old”.  Commercial real estate values are returning to the core fundamentals that always drove the market prior to the rise [...]

On May 11, 2009, the Associated Press introduced its Economic Stress Index, which it describes as a service that “will provide monthly, multi-format updates on the economic stress of the United States down to the county level.” The index weighs three economic variables including unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcy to produce a score on a scale [...]

Do you think the collapse of the real estate market place is determinism (by design) or randomness (everything means nothing)? We can not deny that we have experienced a “bubble”. A bubble merely transfers a share of the future demand into the present. It’s linked with dramatic valuations and always debt funded. It is this [...]

A lot has changed in the past 12 months. A new president and a shift in the policies of Washington. The S&P fell 40% and then rebounded 25% in the last month. The Phillies win a world series; although the curse of the Billy Goat lives on in Chicago.
Unemployment has reached a level not seen [...]

“VALUATION TECHNIQUES FOR COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AMIDST A WORLD OF CHANGE”
Introduction

There is broad sweeping change in the mindset of the World economy caused by the credit crisis, economic downturn and long-term uncertainty, which is having a profound impact on the real estate market. Our job as appraisers is to interpret what is occurring in the [...]

Many auto dealerships are going dark; over 21 in 2008 according to The Oregonian. In 2009 in the Portland Metro area alone we have seen some big names fall to darkness, most notably the Kuni Cadillac dealership that was located in Beaverton. For an auto dealership, the trade area expands beyond the immediate market area. [...]

Recently Forbes published a list of retailers they predict will be closing stores this year. Square Feet had a post about the same story recently, however new details have come to light on a few of these retailers and their exact store closings.

Lane Bryant

150 Stores Closed

Eddie Bauer

27 Stores Closed

[...]

Circuit City lost its battle with the recession early in the game and was forced into chapter 11 even after the initial closing of 155 poorly performing stores across the Midwest. With a lackluster showing of buyers to purchase existing leases and bleeding capital at the seams; no other choices were left but to close [...]

Consumer confidence is at a 40 year low of 37.7 in January of 2009 compared to 87.3 in January of 2007. A little background on consumer confidence: the index started in 1967 and was at 100 in 1985. What does this all mean for the retail industry? Consumer confidence is intrinsically tied to retail. It’s [...]