The top five breakout trends in shopping centers are…

There is a good chance that the shopping center as its exists today will look completely different 10 years from now.



That’s according to Michael Conway, VP of national accounts and retention for Phillips Edison, which released its insights on trending themes at ICSC’s RECon event in Las Vegas. As the face of retail continues to evolve, Conway and his team, who tracks emerging retail trends, attracts and retains new merchant relationships and fosters existing retailer relationships, believe there is tremendous opportunity for out-of-the-box concepts and creative retail strategies.



“The retail industry at large continues to step-up their game,” said Conway. “E-commerce and ease of delivery have encouraged brick and mortar retailers to innovate and improve their in-store experience.”



Phillips Edison identified a number of retail concepts that are breaking out this year. These include:

Grocery Technology–Grocery delivery programs, “click and pick” options and prepared meals are examples of how traditional grocers like Kroger and Publix have adapted and responded to consumer needs and also help compete against concepts like Blue Apron, Plated and Hello Fresh. Grocerants and restaurants within grocery stores are also becoming more prevalent.



Clicks to Bricks – Showrooms like Bonobos, Rent the Runway and BaubleBar will continue to emerge as online retailers find it as a way to achieve growth through brick and mortar locations. Even online power players like Google and Amazon are jumping on this trend with the opening of bookstores and grocery stores in metro areas.



Personal Fitness – As the trend of group fitness continues to grow, more studios like CycleBar, Soul Cycle, Core Power Yoga, Orange Theory Fitness, Pure Barre and Club Pilates will continue to add to tenant mixes and infiltrate shopping centers as an experiential retailer.



Health Conscious Fast Casual Restaurants – Quick service restaurant options are getting healthier and trendier with salad concepts like Grabbagreen, Chopt and organic/fresh ingredients options like Core Life Eatery, sweetgreen, BibibBob, Taziki’s and Newks.



Food Halls – By 2020, it is expected that there will be 200 food halls in the U.S., which is more than double the number open today. Millennials and the foodie culture have fueled this concept, so we will continue to see the planning and development of these projects. Eataly, the leading food hall developer, has 35 locations alone and plans for several additional food halls in the coming years.