To borrow from Mark Twain’s famous quote, the reports of the death of retail (and the retail lease) have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, although reports of the demise of the brick-and-mortar retail establishment have abated, it was not long ago that many were claiming that traditional U.S. retail was dead—never to return.

But with the benefit of time, it would seem that a more accurate prognosis is that retail is now in the midst of a dramatic evolution. Rather than dying, the retail landscape is changing, and being changed, by numerous forces. And so, landlords of such properties, as they plan to meet these changes by reconfiguring and repositioning their properties, should also consider changing their approach concerning the retail lease.