Bright Lights for Retail's Future?

Closure announcements for this quarter GAFO (general merchandise, apparel, furniture and other goods) fell by 53% compared to last year. Blockbuster and Talbots made up 41% of those closings. This suggests retailers are rebounding from their severe contraction.

According to ISCS, a total of 700 U.S. stores and restaurants – 10.4 million square feet and .07% of retail space – closed this quarter. A 53% decreased from the year before. This has been connected to a 3.3% increase in shopping center sales last year. 2010 did witness a 7.5% increase in GAFO closures over 2009. However, the latter half of 2010 experienced significant improvement. This improvement has trended into 2011.

High quality net lease properties in select markets have already experiences noticeable cap rate compression. Whether or not this trend spreads throughout the greater retail market is uncertain.

Note: Credit ratings have taken on increasing importance in our shaky economic landscape. S&P provides an insightful guide betweencorporate credit rating and default rate: