ICSC: Retail Should Expect a Busy Fourth Quarter

With the holiday season just around the corner, there’s some good news for the retail sector according to the retail industry organization, ICSC (Innovating Commerce Serving Communities). Despite economic concerns, ICSC’s 2023 Holiday Shopping Forecast says the sector can expect a “3.8 percent increase in October-December retail sales,” with an additional 7.6% increase for the food and beverage sector. Shoppers intend to spend “same or more” Drawing on data from their Holiday Shopping Intentions Survey, conducted in September this year, ICSC adds that “eight-in-10 shoppers” anticipate spending as much or more this…

Read More

Federal Reserve Beige Book Update- October 18th, 2023

Summary of Economic ActivityEconomic conditions softened slightly across the Tenth District in recent weeks. Hiring activity and business conditions were mostly unchanged, but contacts in the energy, agriculture and commercial real estate sectors reported moderate declines in activity. Several bankers characterized their appetite for lending as being on a “loan diet” – looking for smaller portions (smaller balances) and only healthy fare (better creditworthiness). Most businesses indicated wage growth slowed to a moderate pace. In particular, wage growth among entry-level jobs slowed as job hopping became less common. Lower turnover…

Read More
Martens Companies 

CRE outlook stronger despite supply chain challenges

Since April 2020, the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) has been keeping track of the pandemic’s impact on CRE with their regular COVID Impact surveys. NAIOP’s June 2021 survey collected data from 239 US-based members, including brokers, building managers and owners, and real estate developers. A recurring theme in this latest survey was the increasing challenges commercial real estate (CRE) is navigating associated with supply chain disruptions and materials costs. Supply and delayWith more than 86% of developers reporting delays or materials shortages, it seems the impact…

Read More
Martens Companies 

Allie Fowler Joins Martens Appraisal as Appraisal Department Administrator

Martens Appraisal has hired a new Appraisal Department Administrator. Allie Fowler joined the team early this summer and has taken on the new role at the company. As the Appraisal Department Administrator, Fowler will oversee many of the day-to-day operations of the commercial appraisal company, including serving as the point of contact for clients looking to order appraisals. Steve Martens, CEO of The Martens Companies, said the addition of an Appraisal Department Administrator was a result of re-evaluating the company’s leadership needs. “As we emerge from the pandemic our firm,…

Read More
Martens Companies 

Bear or bull: CRE’s investment prospects

The commercial real estate (CRE) reporter Konrad Putzier recently published a fascinating article in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) about the sector’s resilience, and specifically investors’ confidence in that resilience. Published in May 2020, the article unpacks the factors that have worked into the sentiment analysis, showing that despite the hard knocks of the pandemic, there is a lot of positivity about the future of CRE. No small troubles In many ways, CRE was a prime candidate to be severely impacted by shelter-at-home orders and the migration of workers to…

Read More
Martens Companies 

Giving Back: Awareness Camp

TMC Accountant Heather VanKampen took three days off work earlier this month to volunteer for Awareness Camp, a free, fun-filled day camp for first through eighth graders hosted by the Boy Scouts of America, Quivira Council. The camp is for kids who have not yet experienced scouts and all who attend receive a free membership to BSA for the rest of the year. Attendees got to participate in a large variety of activities, including: fishing, paddle boating, water kickball, capture the flack, ICT rock painting and more. The Wichita Fire…

Read More
Martens Companies 

CRE trend: Home is where the work is

“Work from home” is the first major trend highlighted in the Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2021 – produced by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and professional services network, PwC. This “trends and forecast publication” is now in its 42nd edition and is highly regarded in real estate and commercial real estate (CRE) spaces. The latest edition provides “an outlook on real estate investment and development trends, real estate finance and capital markets, property sectors, metropolitan areas, and other real estate issues”, focusing on the United States and Canada. Go…

Read More
Martens Companies 

4 Predictions for Holiday Shopping in 2020

‘Tis the season… but this year, everything is different. As we flew past Halloween and move towards Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Christmas, all eyes are locked on retail. After such a hectic year, what will this season’s holiday shopping look like? The 2019-2020 Shift Last year, even with e-commerce activity at an all-time high, eager shoppers still flooded to stores and malls to do their gift shopping. Despite tons of Cyber Monday shopping, Black Friday’s turnout was impressive across the country. 2019’s holiday shopping season marked a positive direction for…

Read More
Martens Companies 

Fed Beige Book: Commercial real estate conditions continued to deteriorate in many Districts

Overall Economic ActivityEconomic activity continued to increase across all Districts, with the pace of growth characterized as slight to modest in most Districts. Changes in activity varied greatly by sector. Manufacturing activity generally increased at a moderate pace. Residential housing markets continued to experience steady demand for new and existing homes, with activity constrained by low inventories. Banking contacts also cited increased demand for mortgages as the key driver of overall loan demand. Conversely, commercial real estate conditions continued to deteriorate in many Districts, with the exception being warehouse and…

Read More
Martens Companies 

Fed Beige Book: CRE Activity Stayed at a Low Level

Overall Economic ActivityEconomic activity increased in almost all Districts, but remained well below where it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumer spending picked up as many nonessential businesses were allowed to reopen. Retail sales rose in all Districts, led by a rebound in vehicle sales and sustained growth in the food and beverage and home improvement sectors. Leisure and hospitality spending improved, but was far below year-ago levels. Most Districts reported that manufacturing activity moved up, but from a very low level. Demand for professional and business services increased…

Read More