‘Retail Apocalypse’ Could Last Another 2 Years

The current period of consolidation colloquially known as the “retail apocalypse” may last for another 18 to 24 months, according to an emailed analyst note from investment bank B. Riley FBR. According to Scott Carpenter, who heads the retail solutions unit at B. Riley’s liquidation arm, Great American, “most retailers” are over-stored. That means another 30% of current retail space “would cease to exist in its current form, as consumer buying trends shift increasingly online,” Carpenter told B. Riley analysts. That includes both liquidating retailers and healthy players looking to rationalize their store fleets. Much of the closures would happen at B- and C-class malls, which have already struggled for years now. Read more at Retail Dive.