MIAMI-The Florida ICSC show is up and running, but what's the mood like? On Monday, we offered up an exclusive interview with James Mitchell, first vice president of CBRE Orlando, to get his take on the Amazon Effect on retailers. Now, let's take a look at what David Conn, executive vice president of CBRE Tampa, sees as the biggest gamer changes in retail.

GlobeSt.com: What's the mood likely to be at Florida ICSC convention this year?

Conn: I think most people feel like a recovery has occurred—activity in the Tampa Bay area is definitely picking up—but the big question is, when are we going to see significant new construction? I think we'll start to see some new retail developments announced in the Tampa Bay area soon, but we probably won't have a grand opening until Fall of 2015 or Spring of 2016.

GlobeSt.com: What's the big news in Tampa retail?

Conn: The organic niche grocery store segment is definitely getting a lot of attention. Publix has saturated the market and slowed down their expansion considerably, so developers are anxious to find alternative grocers because grocery stores are the best anchors to build a center around. There's a lot of speculation about when and if Earth Fare or Sprouts will expand in the next year or two, and how they will impact Whole Foods and Fresh Market, who are the two incumbent organic grocers.

GlobeSt.com: What do you see as the biggest "game changer" in retail over the past year?

Conn: E-commerce has cannibalized brick and mortar sales, resulting in lower sales per square foot at the store level. As a result, most retailers are rationalizing their store footprints, which means downsizing in most cases. In addition, retailers are focused on making their supply-chain model as efficient as possible to minimize expenses, reduce inventory and ultimately reduce working capital.

GlobeSt.com: What's going to have the biggest impact on Tampa retail in the near future?

Conn: What's exciting about Tampa is the employment gains are some of the highest in the country now. But retailers want tangible results in the form of increased retail sales. I'd say retailers are cautiously optimistic—there is demand, but retailers aren't chasing space the way they used to. They're sticking closely to their economic models.

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