LOS ANGELES—The retail market had a steady year in 2015, withincreased occupancy and absorption but marginal growth in consumerspending. Still, the retail investment community is optimisticabout continued growth in 2016. To find out about the trends andthe concerns for the year ahead, we asked top retail playersJim Dillavou, a principal atParagon; Jeff Kreshek, VP ofleasing on the West Coast at Federal Realty InvestmentTrust; Elizabeth Hoxworth, director ofreal estate at Sprouts;Clare DeBriere, chief operating officer and EVP attheRatkovich Co.—all of whom are speaking at the ICSC'sSouthern California Deal Exchange in Los Angeles later thismonth—what they are forecasting for the year ahead.

GlobeSt.com: What are your main concerns headinginto 2016?

Dillavou: None. Fundamental are good,a pullback would be positive, and increase interest rates are allhealthy indicators. Tenant consolidation and bankruptcies willcontinue as the industry continues to "reinvent" itself. We shouldexpect—and plan for—many more years of this in the retail businessbefore stabilization is reached. To us, this is a positive as itcreates opportunity.