Ecommerce boom prompts growing demand for retail space

Online shopping is improving the prospect for retail as businesses seek good quality storefronts, property experts argue.

The boom in online shopping means firms can divest their attention to seeking strong stores, said Guy Glover, manager of £102m F&C UK Property fund, describing the trend as 'brick and click'. He said: "There is a new area of 'brick and click' where firms like John Lewis can do very well out of the internet. As a result, they need fewer stores, but would rather have well-placed ones which are in good quality, strong locations. "This is particularly good for cathedral towns such as York and Edinburgh where stores are not competing with major shopping centres." Property consultants CB...