The end of the traditional big-box era is creating a new landscape where mom and pop retailers are the new credit tenants for South Florida mall and strip center landlords who have to re-invent the large spaces vacated by Sears, Toys R Us and others like them.

When looking deeper at the macro-economic drivers impacting the sector: the high-profile big-box bankruptcies, proliferation of e-commerce and increasing emphasis on “experiential retail,” the next generation of retail is one of opportunity—not an apocalypse as many have suggested. Savvy investors understand this, as there is no shortage of interest in acquiring tri-county area retail centers that include vacated big-box space.