SCOOP: Brewster-Douglass site redevelopment by Bedrock!

[Satiricalivory]

Can we not post in here until we have updates? I keep thinking there's news on this when there isn't.

[ShadowSoarer]

It is not just Orleans Landing. The Stott and Detroit Free Press Building have yet had any retailers. Book Tower, Hudson Site, and Woodward West [[maybe except Kuzzos ages ago) have yet announced any retailers. The Corner and the Boulevard retail space have yet been 100% occupied. Elton Park retail was empty until fairly recently.

[Satiricalivory]

Oh no, not yet 100% occupied? The horror. It's almost like there's been a pandemic that's hurt retail or something. We're concerning about retail that wont even be operational for years now?

[ShadowSoarer]

This is all pre-pandemic with exception of the Book Tower, Hudson Site, and Woodward West. Even before the pandemic retail was in decline. Unfortunately Detroit’s revitalization is occurring at bad time for retailers. Wish it didn’t take so long for projects like the City Club Apartments [[4-5 years?) and City Modern [[6 years?).

Anyways back to the original topic is that supposedly a recent article talks about having an announcement later this year for the Brewster Douglas Development. Hopefully it construction doesn’t move at the pace of City Modern or else it will take 18 years to build [[assuming that it is roughly 3 times the size of City Modern).

[djtomt]

Brick & mortar retail is DYING across the globe, and it's never coming back. Time to figure out some other uses for ground floor space in residential developments.

[Richard]

In 2018 the retail association estimated by 2023 online purchases would equal 58% of the market,it is 2022 and sitting at 14%,globally the U.S. counts less then 2% of GDP in internet sales.

People keep saying that brick n mortar and manufacturing is dead and never coming back,but yet manufacturing plants and retail strip malls are built everyday,by me one would be hard pressed to find a vacancy in a strip mall and every time they build a new one it is full.

Most retailers have an online presence but it only represents less then 15% of their total sales.Because of brand recognition.

Look at the early days,you could order from Sears and many others,even could have your house delivered,the only thing that changed was instead of a catalog and a phone,the catalog is on your phone,there is a social aspect in it all also.

When you look at the likes of Sears - Toys r Us etc ,it was not online sales that shut them down,it was the way they leveraged growth and the selling out to groups with no retail experience.

The online retailers association would love to have everybody believe brick n mortar is dead and never coming back,because that’s what they get paid to do,convince everybody to switch to online.

1946 Sears did 1 billion in catalog sales,that is 14 billion in todays numbers,Amazon who is the largest online retailer has had flat growth or less then 9% in growth.

Online sales are really not much different then catalog sales in 1946 in total factoring in population growth,the numbers do not support brick n mortar being dead and never coming back.

Its not a transfer from brick n mortar to online,it’s a transfer from catalog sales to online sales,no different then when Sears and Spiegle and others entered the field of catalog sales.

[royce]

^I agree with Richard that brick and mortar retail is not dead. What is dead is the mall concept of brick and mortal retail. Most Americans' ideas of how they spend their time today has changed. There was a time when Americans enjoyed spending a Saturday or Sunday at the mall. Everything was there: clothing, toys, food, movie theaters, and games [[arcades or a rollercoaster at Mall of America). It was our way of socializing. However, socializing has changed. As teenagers we hung out at the mall because we could see our friends there. Now, teenagers can see their friends 24/7 on social media. Also, because children and teens are so busy with activities, that none of them walk or ride a bike to, parents have less time to hang at the mall because they are "soccer momming" there children all over the place. Because of these new time constraints, Americans don't have time to walk in a mall searching for stores for hours to find what they want. They want to drive to the store, park as close as possible, go directly in, and get what they need so that they can move on to other events in their lives.

Now, I don't go to stores as much as I might have when I was younger, but now it's because of the kinds of retail items that I need in my life. For example, I'll order dress shoes on line because I have small feet. Most brick and mortar stores won't even carry a size seven dress shoe, so I order them on line. On the other hand, I'll never order a suit online. That requires a brick and mortar experience. When I shop for casual clothes, I go to Kohl's because I like their selections and prices. For most appliances I'll go to Best Buy, Costco, or Home Depot. Notice that all of the stores I just mentioned you can drive up to, get in to, and get out of relatively quickly.

Finally, we still need brick and mortar stores for our food choices. Whether we dine in, pick up, or get it delivered, these stores will always have a presence. So, retail has changed and brick and mortar retail has declined, but it will always be around as long as we are around.

[JonWylie]

Elton Park retail was empty until fairly recently.

So like 2-3 years after it's built it's filling up? Sounds good to me.

[casscorridor]

Brick and Mortar will never die out. People still like to hold things and feel them and to have social interactions. Thus, to compete with online retailers, brick and mortar retailers need to focus more on customer service and an experiences that can't be found online. You might find a clothing shop which also serves espresso while helping you hand pick garments that fit with your specific body and style. Or a book shop which offers live readings and workshops and the bookseller can help you find a novel to read in a personalised way which an algorithm can't. Moreover, there is more of a focus on locally produced products, sustainability, small batch production and an understanding by the customer that what is being purchased is not the same old thing you can find in any mall.

[louis]

Irony is the retail space in Orleans Landing is finally filling up. The Boxing Gym yarn store, a local fashion brand, and that fancy wine shop [[opening soon) all opened up in the last year.