What: the effect of the pandemic on retail real estate.

Why it is important: Apart from closing down for insolvency, retailers have been reducing the number of their stores as Covid has accelerated the trend towards online.

This Forbes article looks at retail real estate investment yields as well as leases and associated costs. Apparel retailers and department stores, in particular, felt the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic, with analysts predicting 20% less retail real estate by 2025. As traditional brick-and-mortar businesses burn through cash reserves and consumers opt for e-commerce, many retail properties will remain vacant in the first half of 2021.

The future of retail real estate