Building Design + Construction - October 2019

14 | BUILDING DESIGN+CONSTRUCTION | October 2019

Last month, one of

the world’s most

well-known retailers

fi led for bankruptcy.

Barneys is almost 100

years old and will close 15

of its 22 stores as part of

a major restructure, and

they aren’t alone. Barneys

is among dozens of other

retailers fi ling for

bankruptcy this year. The

question is, How do

landlords transform this

valuable empty space? The

solution lies in repurposing

existing square footage.

Brick-and-mortar

environments can no

longer offer consumers

a singular purpose.

Developments must

be multi-functional

destinations, hybrid

facilities that support

retail’s changing landscape

and benefi t the consumer,

retailer, and developer. The

goal is to create physical

environments that offer a

differentiated customer

experience, but also one

that allows for faster

product access.

With a national vacancy

rate of more than 10% and

a market that’s inundated

with empty anchor space,

the challenge will be to

repurpose these once

thriving mall beacons to

become multipurpose

destinations that are both

functional and aesthetically

pleasing for developers

and remaining anchor

tenants.

The solution for dark

anchors should not be to

simply plug the hole with

traditional solutions, but

to look toward out-of-the-

box concepts. A more

innovative distribution

center concept can offer

a longer-lasting, versatile

solution focused on

engagement, helping with

supply chain, and better

addressing today’s speed

of transaction. The ideal

repurposed distribution

center offers three distinct

uses.

First, is a warehouse

“lite” facility offering

last-mile delivery

services—a smaller-

format transportation

hub focused on last-mile

logistics to deliver items

to the end user as fast as

possible. The repurposed

distribution center could

leverage key elements

from previous anchors, like

the loading dock, receiving

area, and freight elevators.

And keeping truck traffi c

to the backside of the

development, ideally with

a separate entrance,

prevents a disruption to

guest traffi c fl ow.

Next, a robust click-

and-collect facility, from

parcel lockers to drive-

through pick-ups, will allow

customers and third-party

delivery vendors faster

access to merchandise.

This could also support

newer concepts like cloud

kitchens that rely on

multiple delivery providers

and a seamless pick-up

process. Supporting new

business models, from

ridesharing to BOPIS (buy

online pickup in store), will

keep the concept fresh

and fl exible to support

the growing ecommerce

market.

The third usage will

be to leverage the

street-facing façade for

small-format retail and

restaurants. Providing

unique localized offerings

and a varied tenant mix

will keep the development

feeling current. These

new consumer-facing

environments should offer

| THINK TANK | By Eric Arter, AIA, LEED AP, Vice President, Mixed-Use Studio Leader, NELSON Worldwide

ANOTHER WELL-KNOWN RETAILER FILES

FOR BANKRUPTCY: HERE’S THE SOLUTION

TO MORE EMPTY ANCHOR STORES

One solution for dark anchors is to convert them to warehouse “lite” facilities, which offer last-mile delivery

services. The repurposed distribution center could leverage key elements from previous anchors, like the

loading dock, receiving area, and freight elevators.

RENDERING: NELSON