Where is Experiential Retail Headed?

Experts ponder whether purely experiential retailers such as axe-throwing bars have staying power.

DALLAS—A recent study explored the future of experiential retail─such as axe-throwing bars, food halls and escape rooms─all of which are booming in Dallas. The authors of the Cushman & Wakefield report suggest that the increased drive for experience-based retail across the nation and in Dallas reflects a deeper economic trend─one with implications that go far beyond shopping centers and the shifting tastes of Millennial consumers. It’s a trend that plays out most visibly in the retail arena because of the current disruption in the retail industry.