A life of luxury?
There's no better time to learn the lessons from luxury retail about how brand and real estate interact.
When it comes to the interface between brand and real estate, it is luxury retail that has consistently been at the vanguard. Luxury names saw earlier, and more clearly, how real estate presence is not simply an extension of the brand but a core part of its appeal, and the sector continues to show just what is possible in the space.
That understanding and brand equity has been leveraged across a range of asset classes - hotels, residential, private clubs and even high-end office space - but it is in retail that the luxury sector's ongoing evolution and innovation is most visible. Take a stroll around the world's luxury districts, or browse the publications that cover them, and you will see new ideas, concepts and experiences that are redefining what a store is. Whatever new channels continue to be developed, physical retail remains incredibly important to luxury brands.
What makes luxury's successes more prominent is that they fly in the face of wider trends in retail real estate, and act as a corrective for those that think the days of bricks-and-mortar stores are numbered. The challenges faced by retail property over the past two decades are well documented, and plenty of locations have struggled, often terminally, as a result; over the same period, luxury has not just survived but thrived.
The speed of evolution in the luxury retail sphere, and the lessons it has for us all, makes it particularly important to take time to understand the shifts are happening. Which brings us to Shoptalk Luxe, taking place in Abu Dhabi later this month.
Meeting people and discussing concepts in-person is vitally important across all real estate sectors, but for luxury retail it is doubly so. An asset class so predicated on experience has to be seen first hand, which is where such forums are so important. The exchange of ideas and opportunities it presents is invaluable to anyone operating in luxury real estate.
As well as being a media partner for Shoptalk Luxe, the Innesco team will be attending the event - from the 27th to the 29th January - to see for itself the trends and people that are shaping the future of premium retail. If you're going to be there too, give us a call - we'd love to meet up.