The ever-growing e-commerce industry is a "blessing in disguise" for Australia's retail sector moving forward, according to CBRE.

The commercial real estate and investment firm has released its 2019 forecast for the industry, based on the state of the market and emerging trends. 

CBRE National Director for Retail Investments, Mark Wizel, predicted retail owners to again rise to the challenge posed by e-commerce this year.

CBRE 2019 Retail Forecast - At a glance

• More tenancy remixing to combat e-commerce threat.
• Greater emphasis on family-friendly areas to keep customers in centres longer.
• An increase in Chinese investors.

"Retail has shown a pleasing resilience and an ability to adapt to a changing environment that has at least partially underpinned a very good year for retail investments," he said.

"In 2019, we are going to see a firming of those emerging trends that have included a broadening of investors’ thinking on shopping centre investments.

MG Property and Investments Consultancy Director Mark Greer. Source: MG Property and Investments

Mr Wizel said new strategies such as remixed tenancy and more social areas have proved to be successful.

"Remixed tenancies have supported growth in food and beverage as well as service based, while efforts to keep customers in centres longer have also included more family friendly facilities such as safe/supervised children’s play areas," he said.

"It wouldn’t be surprising to see further efforts to `socialise’ shopping centres as meeting places - in much the same manner that strip centres/township centres have done via alfresco dining and the like."

His sentiments were echoed by MG Property and Investments Consultancy Director Mark Greer, who told WILLIAMS MEDIA that entertainment was a key growth area within the sector.

"I think we will continue to see the industry be more geared towards entertainment and lifestyle," he said.

"In terms of fashion retailers, we could see less stores and more flagships."

The past year featured significant interest from foreign investors, with Burwood One ($181.5m) and Epping Aurora ($44.5m) both being sold to Chinese buyers.

Mr Wizel said it was a sign of things to come.

"We expect to see increasing interest from Chinese buyers, and Asian buyers in general," he said.

"This will be driven by wider recognition of the long term underlying land value that many retail shopping centre assets offer on top of the very secure, Woolworths/Coles et al based, income streams." 

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