Weekly Perl: A Commercial Real Estate News Recap

Marc Perlof • July 17, 2026
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Sales rise in June for ninth straight month amid sales events

The summer shopping season got off to a solid start in June as shoppers took advantage of special seasonal sales events by Amazon and other retailers.

Core retail sales rose 0.36% month over month in June — and were up 10.08% year over year, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, released by the National Retail Federation. That compared with increases of 0.39% month over month and 6.98% year over year in May. (Core retail sales exclude restaurants, auto dealers and gasoline stations...)


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Net Lease Cap Rates Tick Up as Retail Supply Surges in Q2

Fed Hold, Retail Glut Set the Stage



Cap rates in the single tenant net lease space moved marginally higher in Q2 2026, signaling a market still adjusting to persistent rate uncertainty. According to The Boulder Group, overall cap rates climbed two basis points quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) to 6.82%, with the retail sector seeing a 5 bps increase to 6.60% and industrial climbing 10 bps to 7.25%.

An elevated outdoor view of a modern shopping mall promenade with manicured greenery, palm trees, and pedestrians.

June CPI Decelerates from May, Driven by Drop in Energy Index

U.S. inflation decelerated in June, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) declining 0.4% after increasing 0.5% in the previous month. A 5.7% drop in the energy index drove the monthly all-items decrease, more than offsetting increases in indexes for shelter and food, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday.


The energy index was up 15.7% on an annual basis. The monthly decline followed increases of 3.9% in May, 3.8% in April and 10.9% in March...

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Costco’s June sales up 10.6% amid strong digital gains; declares dividend

Costco Wholesale Corp. reported another solid month with increases in net and comparative sales, as well as its average transaction.

The membership warehouse club retailer's net sales rose 10.6% to $29.24 billion in June (the five weeks ended July 5). Excluding gas, the average transaction rose 3.3%. Net sales for the first 44 weeks were $250.43 billion, up 10.1% from $227.46 billion last year...

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Study: KFC closed 300-plus U.S. stores in past year


One of the largest quick-serve fried chicken chains is trimming its store count in the United States, according to a new analysis.

Local AI search visibility platform Local Falcon compared KFC's public store locator from July 15, 2025, to July 6, 2026, and verified each removed listing against Google Maps. The analysis showed that at least 312 KFC restaurants marked permanently closed on Google Maps, or 7.64% of the more than 4,000 locations listed at the start of the period...

The main entrance of the NuHAA building, featuring a modern glass and stone facade, at sunset.

Affluent Shoppers Drive Nearly Half Of US Retail Spending

The Steepening K-Shaped Recovery


Globe St reports that consumer spending in the US is now more heavily concentrated among the wealthiest households than at any point in decades. According to Bank of America, the top 10% of earners spend as much on discretionary items as the bottom 70% combined—a sign of how the so-called K-shaped recovery has intensified since the pandemic. Moody’s Analytics, analyzing Federal Reserve data, found these high-income households, earning $250,000 or more, drove 49.7% of all consumer spending, up from 36% thirty years ago. For CRE owners and investors, this concentration creates new patterns of risk and resilience for retail, mixed-use, and consumer-facing assets...

A green Publix Food & Pharmacy sign mounted on a white and beige building exterior against a blue sky.

Men’s Wearhouse parent eyes Wall Street return as department stores retreat

The parent company of Men's Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank is preparing to return to the public markets, arguing it has overcome the challenges that drove it into bankruptcy during the pandemic and is now positioned for a major expansion.

New York-based Tailored Brands — also the owner of Moores and K&G Fashion Superstore — said Monday it has publicly filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering. The company has not yet determined the number of shares to be sold or the proposed price range. It plans to trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "MENW..."

Kroger wipes out plan for 80 stores in Florida

The Tampa Bay Business Journal reports that a massive expansion of Kroger stores in Florida has been canceled.

The Cincinnati-based grocer recently scrapped plans for 80 Harris Teeter locations in Florida. A Harris Teeter store currently under construction in Jacksonville remains on track to open.


The Harris Teeter rollout also included at least five 65,000-square-foot, high-end stores.



In a statement, Harris Teeter said it does not comment on potential sites or real estate speculation.

Kroger has been retreating in Florida since December, when it terminated a 10-year incentive agreement with Lake County, Fla., after shutting down a fulfillment network facility...


US Retail Vacancy Holds at 4.4% as Demand Stays Strong

Retail Resilience Defies Market Pessimism


US retail fundamentals stayed on solid footing in Q2 2026, even as the wider economy faced ongoing uncertainty. According to the latest report by Colliers, shoppers continued to seek value, convenience, and experiences, fueling consistent demand for retail space. Against concerns about discretionary spending, tenants remained active, and leasing strengthened—underscoring the sector’s resilience relative to other asset classes...

Why Retail Properties Sit on the Market

By Marc Perlof • July 13, 2026
By Marc Perlof | MarcRetailGuy CA #01489206 July 13, 2026 If you own retail real estate, here’s what just changed for you. Last week, we discussed how retail property owners choose the right pricing strategy based on asset type, tenant quality, lease structure, location, and buyer pool. This week, we are looking at the other side of that decision: why do some retail properties sit on the market? Most properties do not sit because there are no buyers. They sit because the market does not believe the price, the story, the income, the risk, or the property isn’t being actively marketed. Buyers are not gone. They are selective. If the price, income, lease structure, and risk do not line up, they move on fast. Buyers are active when the deal makes sense. But when pricing and positioning are off, buyers move on quickly or they lowball. The Market Gives Feedback When a retail property sits with little activity, weak offers, or no serious buyer engagement, the market is saying something. It may be saying the price is too high, the income does not support the value, the lease structure is risky, the tenant mix is weak, the property condition is a concern, financing does not work, or the buyer pool is too limited. Owners may not like the feedback, but ignoring it usually makes the problem worse. The longer a property sits, the more leverage shifts to buyers. Pricing Too High Is the Most Common Problem The most obvious reason a property sits is price. But it is not always as simple as saying the asking price is too high. Sometimes the asking price is high because the seller is using the wrong pricing method. They may be pricing based on when the market was at its last peak, a neighbor’s asking price, replacement cost, loan payoff, a past offer, or the number they want for retirement. Those numbers may matter to the owner. They may not matter to the buyer. Buyers are underwriting today’s income, today’s rates, today’s financing, and today’s risk. If the math does not work, they either pass or write a lower offer. Buyers Do Not Pay for Yesterday’s Market A lot of owners still remember the stronger pricing environment from lower interest rate years. That is understandable, but buyers are not pricing retail properties based on the old cost of capital. They are looking at current interest rates, debt service coverage, insurance costs, property taxes, operating expenses, future leasing risk, and exit cap rates. If the buyer cannot make the math work, they usually do not stretch just because the seller wants yesterday’s price. Poor Positioning Can Kill Buyer Interest Some properties are not badly overpriced. They are poorly positioned. That means the marketing does not clearly explain why the property is worth buying. A strip center may have below market rents, but the marketing only shows current income. A redevelopment site may have zoning upside, but the density and entitlement path are unclear or the current pricing metrics are too high based on development costs. A vacant storefront may have owner user potential, but the marketing is written like a passive investment property. Wrong story. Wrong buyer. Weak activity. Sometimes the Process Is the Problem Sometimes the issue is not the property. It is the process. A listing can sit if the broker is only waiting for inbound calls, using the wrong buyer list, failing to explain the upside, or not following up with the buyers most likely to close. Lease Issues Create Buyer Concern Retail buyers pay close attention to lease structure. A property may look good at first, but buyers may lose interest after reviewing the leases. Common problems include short lease terms, no rent increases, below market option periods, weak guarantors, unclear reimbursement language, missing lease amendments, tenant payment issues, and verbal agreements that are not documented. These issues do not always kill a deal, but they usually affect pricing. If the owner prices the property as if there is no lease risk, buyers will push back.  Disorganized Records Create Doubt Buyers do not only evaluate the property. They also evaluate the owner’s records. Tenant estoppels can help confirm lease terms before closing, but they do not replace clean records at the start of the process. If the rent roll, leases, expenses, service records, and tenant files are disorganized, buyers become more cautious before they ever receive the estoppels. They may question whether the income is accurate, whether tenants are paying correctly, whether reimbursements are being collected, and whether future repair issues are being tracked. Disorganization creates doubt. Doubt creates more questions, longer due diligence, and more room for buyers to push on price or terms. Deferred Maintenance Can Reduce Value A property does not have to be perfect to sell, but major physical issues should be understood before going to market. Buyers will look at roof condition, HVAC, parking lot, plumbing, electrical systems, ADA risk, environmental risk, signage, access, and common area condition. If buyers see future costs, they will usually build those costs into their offer. If the seller does not account for that upfront, the deal may stall later. The Wrong Buyer Pool Can Hurt the Sale A good property can sit if it is aimed at the wrong buyer pool. A short term net lease property may not be a fit for passive 1031 buyers. A value add strip center may not be a fit for a buyer who wants clean income. A redevelopment site may not be a fit for a cap rate buyer. A vacant building may not be a fit for a passive investor. The right buyer pool matters. Marketing to everyone often means connecting with no one. What Owners Should Do if the Property Is Sitting If a retail property has been on the market and activity is weak, the owner should review four things. Does the price match buyer underwriting? Not seller hopes. Buyer math. Is the property story clear? The marketing should explain the real reason to buy the property. Are you targeting the right buyers? Net lease buyers, developers, owner-users, syndicators, private investors, and family offices do not all think the same way. Is there deal friction? This could include leases, expenses, records, repairs, tenant issues, financing, or uncertainty. Final Thought A retail property sitting on the market is not always a disaster, but it is always a signal. The owner needs to decide whether to adjust price, improve the story, clean up the records, address property issues, or change the buyer strategy. Doing nothing usually does not create a better outcome. It usually creates more stale market time and more buyer leverage. Next week, we will look at how buyers actually evaluate your retail property and why understanding buyer underwriting can protect value before going to market. If your retail property is sitting, or if you are thinking about selling and want to avoid that problem, I can help you review the pricing, positioning, buyer pool, and deal risks before the market gives you a harder answer. Based in Los Angeles. Serving Southern California. Active across California. Advising clients nationwide. #RetailRealEstate #CommercialRealEstate #RetailInvestment #PropertyOwners #BuyerMarket #RetailPricing #PropertyValuation #CREStrategy #MarcRetailGuy

Weekly Perl: A Commercial Real Estate News Recap

By Marc Perlof • July 10, 2026
10-Year Treasury Yield Falls to 4.539% — Data Talk (Re-opening) The 10-year yield declined 0.030 percentage point to 4.539% today. The price is 98 23/32. --Largest one-day yield decline since Wednesday, June 24, 2026 --Snaps a seven-trading-day streak of rising yields --Yield is off 0.130 percentage point from its 52-week high of 4.668% hit Tuesday, May 19, 2026 --Yield is up 0.586 percentage point from its 52-week low of 3.952% hit Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025 --Yield is up 0.192 percentage point from 52 weeks ago...

Choosing the Right Pricing Strategy for Your Retail Property Starts with the Buyer

By Marc Perlof • July 6, 2026
By Marc Perlof | MarcRetailGuy CA #01489206 July 6, 2026 If you own retail real estate, here’s what just changed for you. In last month’s blog, we looked at how retail property owners decide whether to adjust pricing, hold firm, or wait in a changing market. That decision matters, but it is only the starting point. The next decision is more important than most owners realize: choosing the right pricing strategy. This is where many owners get the market wrong. They price the property based on what they own, what they want, or what a nearby property asked for. But buyers do not all underwrite retail property the same way. A 1031 buyer, developer, syndicator, owner user, family office, and local operator can look at the same property and see completely different value. The right pricing strategy starts with knowing which buyer is most likely to believe the story, accept the risk, and close. Pricing Is Not Just About the Property The property matters. The income matters. The lease matters. The location matters. But the buyer pool determines how those items are interpreted. A short term lease may look risky to a passive 1031 buyer, but attractive to a value add investor, an owner user who wants control, or a developer. A vacant building may look like a problem to an income buyer, but like an opportunity to a developer or owner user. A strip center with below market rents may look messy to one buyer and like upside to another. Same property. Different buyer. Different value. That is why the pricing strategy cannot start with only the asset type. It has to start with the buyer most likely to see value and close. Today, buyer targeting matters more because financing is tighter, investors are more selective, and the wrong buyer pool can make a solid property look overpriced. If the property is aimed at the wrong buyer pool, the result is usually longer market time, weaker offers, and more price pressure. Different Buyers See Different Value A 1031 exchange buyer usually wants stability. They are often looking for clean income, long lease term, strong tenant credit, limited management, and a simple story. If the deal has short leases, local tenants, or unclear expenses, some 1031 buyers will either pass or price it more conservatively. A developer looks at the property differently. They may care less about current income and more about land value, zoning, density, entitlement risk, construction costs, and future exit value. To a developer, the existing building may not be the value. The land and future project may be the value. A syndicator usually needs a story that can be explained to investors. They care about return, upside, risk, financing, and whether the business plan is clear. If the story is too complicated or the numbers are too thin, they may move on. A family office may care more about long term quality, location, and risk protection. They may not need the highest return, but they usually do not want a problem asset unless the pricing clearly rewards the risk. A local investor may see value that other buyers miss. They may understand the tenants, the street, the rents, and the management upside better than an outside buyer. An owner user may look at the property through occupancy, control, and long term business use. They may not underwrite the deal the same way a passive investor does. This is why two buyers can look at the same retail property and come to very different conclusions. The Wrong Buyer Pool Leads to the Wrong Price The mistake is not just overpricing. The bigger mistake is using a pricing strategy that does not match the buyer most likely to close. For example, a retail building with short term leases may not work for a passive buyer. If the marketing is aimed at passive investors, the property may sit. But that same property may attract owner users, developers, or value add operators if positioned correctly. A strip center with below market rents may look weak if the marketing focuses only on today’s NOI. But if the buyer pool understands leasing upside, rent growth, tenant repositioning and the price accounts for these concerns, the story changes. A single tenant property with a shorter lease may not command premium net lease pricing. But if the real estate is strong and the tenant has a history at the site, there may still be a buyer pool. The strategy just needs to reflect the actual risk. The wrong buyer pool creates weak activity, low offers, and stale market time. The right buyer pool can create urgency because the buyers understand why the property matters. Pricing and Positioning Need to Work Together Pricing is not only the asking price. It is also how the property is presented. A good pricing strategy should answer: Who is the buyer? Why would they want this property? What risk will they see? What return will they need? What price range can they justify? If the likely buyer is a 1031 buyer, the story needs to be simple, stable, and income focused. If the likely buyer is a developer, the story needs to explain the land, zoning, density, timing, and feasibility. If the likely buyer is a value add operator, the story needs to show the path to higher NOI. If the likely buyer is an owner user, the story needs to focus on control, location, occupancy, and long term use. The same property may need a completely different strategy depending on the buyer. The Owner’s Goal Still Matters The buyer pool matters, but the seller’s goal still matters too. An owner who wants the highest possible price may need a longer marketing process, stronger preparation, and a buyer pool that can support premium pricing. An owner who wants certainty may need to price closer to the market from day one. An owner who only wants to sell if they hit a certain number may want to wait until the economics support their price. The problem happens when the owner’s goal and the buyer pool do not match. If the owner wants premium pricing but the buyer pool sees lease risk, financing risk, or future repair costs, the market will push back. If the owner wants a fast sale but prices above where buyers can underwrite, the property may sit. A strong strategy connects the owner’s goal with buyer reality. What Owners Should Review Before Pricing Before choosing a pricing strategy, retail property owners should review the property the way buyers will review it. That means looking at the rent roll, leases, tenant payment history, lease expirations, options, rent increases, triple net (NNN) reimbursements, expense history, roof, HVAC, parking lot, deferred maintenance, financing conditions, comparable sales, competing listings, and likely buyer pool. The goal is not just to estimate value. The goal is to identify which buyer will see the strongest reason to act and close. That is where good pricing strategy starts. Final Thought Pricing is not just asking, “What is my property worth?” The better question is, “Who is the right buyer, and what price can that buyer believe?” That is the difference between putting a number on a property and building a real sale strategy. When the price, story, buyer pool, and seller’s goal line up, the property has a much better chance of creating serious activity, stronger offers, and a cleaner closing. Next week, we will look at what happens when this strategy is wrong: Why Retail Properties Sit on the Market. If you own a strip center, shopping center, single tenant net lease property, storefront retail building, or redevelopment site, I can help you review the buyer pool, pricing strategy, risk points, and likely market response before you make a sale, refinance, or hold decision. Based in Los Angeles. Serving Southern California. Active across California. Advising clients nationwide. #RetailRealEstate #CommercialRealEstate #RetailInvestment #PropertyOwners #1031Exchange #NetLease #ShoppingCenters #CREStrategy #MarcRetailGuy
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