Northmarq's National Shopping Center Group: A Conversation with Our Experts

Get to know our National Shopping Center Group! Hear from our regional experts on the latest market trends and understand what makes our collaborative approach best-in-class.

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Kevin Adatto

Portland | Northwest Region

How does Northmarq’s National Shopping Center Group approach collaboration? 
We’re proud to offer national insights together with local market intelligence. By working across multiple regions, the team provides a broad perspective on active capital trends, return expectations and tenant challenges, helping clients make informed decisions. When working with us, you’ll benefit from a uniform level of service across offices, with access to shared data and market insights that offer a global perspective on shopping center investment. Additionally, unlike firms tied to specific service providers, Northmarq selects the best team for each assignment, ensuring clients receive tailored solutions for all their needs.

What trends or opportunities are you seeing in the grocery-anchored shopping center market in the Northwest?
The Northwest region has limited expansion opportunities. It remains a tight market for grocers due to high brand loyalty and limited real estate availability. The cost of new development has also restricted new store openings, making adaptive reuse of existing properties more viable and lower risk. When deals do become available, which historically has been few and far between, we see increased competition from investors since grocery remains the most sought-after retail sector. Currently, there is an underserved market for ethnic grocery stores, presenting a gap in the marketplace. Alternative grocery concepts too are in high demand and new entrants like Sprouts, which is actively seeking expansion in the Northwest, will help address the gap if they can achieve the scale needed for a true roll out.

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Sean Tufts

Seattle | Northwest Region

How does the collaborative, regional structure of the National Shopping Center Group enhance the services you provide to clients?
Multi-tenant retail, especially shopping centers, have historically been owned and operated by regionally focused groups. The nuances of retail as a product type versus others make regional retail trends and relationships with tenants, leasing agents and the retail community more important. Our team's national reach and regional focus helps alleviate those challenges and allows clients to explore new markets throughout the country with regional and trusted experts embedded in those markets.

What unique challenges or advantages do shopping center investors face in the Northwest, and how does your team address them?
The Northwest has been one of the most challenging and expensive regions to develop in. Overall, more retail square footage has been demolished in the last 15 years than developed. The Northwest is also land-constrained, either by geographic barriers like water and mountains in Seattle, or by political reasons such as urban growth boundaries. All of this leads to increased land values that push development costs higher than regions with more abundant land and more development-friendly business environments. Investors trying to enter the Northwest face scale issues with a significant number of private, long-term, family offices that do not transact. While slightly more institutional than before, the Northwest remains a very provincial market.

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Margaret Caldwell

Atlanta | Southeast Region

Are there any specific trends or untapped opportunities you’re excited about in the Southeast shopping center segment?
The Southeast is highly sought after by all types of retail investors. Most retail assets that go through a marketing process in the Southeast will receive around 20 offers. It is a wonderful time to be a seller of shopping centers in the Southeast. Cap rates are at historic lows even with higher interest rates.

How do your deep ties to the Atlanta market give Northmarq’s clients a competitive edge when investing locally in shopping centers?
My team and I are very connected to many of the shopping center owners in and around Atlanta, and we understand the local markets throughout the Southeast. Our deep client relationships are how we source our listings and make sure we can confirm that our clients are picking the best buyer for their centers. We also source off-market investment opportunities for our clients through our strong relationships.

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Ryan Roedersheimer

Cincinnati | Midwest/Ohio Valley Region

What sets Northmarq apart when it comes to representing shopping center owners and investors in the Ohio Valley region and across the Midwest?
Northmarq stands out in the Midwest/Ohio Valley region due to our people and our comprehensive, personalized approach to client service. We provide tailored investment solutions for a wide range of investors – from institutional groups to private equity and beyond – meeting clients where they are and guiding them toward their investment goals. Our depth of market expertise, strong relationships and ability to navigate complex transactions ensure that our clients receive best-in-class advisory services and execution.

Are there emerging retail markets or investment opportunities in the Midwest that you believe clients should explore?
The Ohio Valley region specifically is experiencing strong economic growth, making it a prime location for both opportunistic and long-term investors. Key drivers include the presence of Fortune 500 corporations, leading universities, top-tier healthcare institutions, a growing technology and manufacturing sector, and business-friendly governance. Additionally, emerging retail submarkets – particularly in high-growth suburban corridors and revitalized urban districts – offer attractive opportunities for investors seeking stable yields and long-term appreciation.

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Greg Laughton

Charlotte | Southeast Region

What is the biggest value that Northmarq’s National Shopping Center Group provides to owners and investors in and around Charlotte?
Northmarq’s National Shopping Center Group provides owners and investors with a one-stop shop for capital markets needs from debt and equity to investment sales. Our platform has a national reach that rivals larger, publicly traded firms with a local, entrepreneurial presence and expertise to help advise clients.

What are the most significant shifts you’re noticing in consumer behavior or retail demand in the Southeast, and how should owners and investors respond?
More than ever, consumers value a shopping experience that incorporates entertainment, retail and service-based tenants. There is a significant opportunity for owners and investors to rethink existing layouts and tenant mixes to revive dated centers.

Learn more

• View our Shopping Center research
• Learn about our Shopping Center capabilities
• Browse our Shopping Center listings
• Review past Shopping Center transactions
• Read the full press release