Ready to peer into the future and see what 2025 holds for you and your business?

1. The Rise of Experience-Based Retail: Physical retail spaces will continue to become increasingly more experiential. In order to compete with online shopping, bricks-and-mortar retailers have to focus on creating experiences that cannot be replicated online. Expect immersive pop-ups and activations, interactive displays, and in-store events to remember.
2. Tech and Automation: With the increases in national minimum wage looming and cost pressures on the rise we anticipate retailers and restaurateurs may look to technology and automation to decrease staffing costs.
3. Circular Economy Practices: Reused, refurbish, recycle – and repeat. Eco-friendly approaches will become more common in commercial real estate, with developers and landlords focusing on reducing waste, building for disassembly and promoting sustainable use of resources.
4. More Mergers: We expect to see further consolidation among retail and groups, capitalising on opportunities and failures to form some game-changing partnerships.
5. Sugar and Spice: Bakeries, patisserie and beauty are all set to thrive in 2025. (Yes please!)
6. Patience is a Virtue: Brands are likely to execute roll outs in a more considered way, reducing the pace of expansion, with slow and steady approaches focusing on A+ locations winning the race.
7. Inflation and Innovation: Inflation and wage suppression will continue to curb spending, putting the squeeze on high street businesses. This may lead to more innovative ideas coming to high streets near you. Watch this space!

Check back this time next year to see how we fared …..