State of the State 2016: Ami Ziff of Time Equities Inc.

Ami Ziff, Time Equities

What is driving the growth of your business in 2016?

There have been countless articles criticizing brick and mortar retail, especially in relation to enclosed malls. This negative tone has put pressure on the mall REITs to prune their portfolios of smaller, less productive assets amidst a dearth of buyers growing in the space. The dislocation has presented an opportunity for firms with an optimistic view on brick and mortar retail and the expertise to run these assets.

In addition to expanding our national portfolio of strip centers, which is comprised of 105 retail assets spanning 24 states, Time Equities is in contract to acquire our fifth enclosed mall and is actively pursuing opportunities to grow our mall/outlet platform. Time Equities believes not all segments of retail are portable and as such, brick and mortar will always remain relevant. We continue to find value in retail centers, and what makes them appealing to shoppers.

The following are a few reasons why:

1) The social aspect

2) The immediacy factor

3) Omni-Channel (Brick & mortar and online functionality)

4) Sustainability benefits

5) Not all clothing is created equal (Tough to buy online if one doesn’t know their size)

6) Stores represent branding opportunities

7) Retailers often seeing better margin in-store versus online (after costs to deliver goods)

Ami Ziff is the director of national retail for Time Equities Inc.