The Source of Commercial Real Estate podcast with Jonathan Hayek, welcomed Matthews™ Senior Vice President Jeff Enck to talk about his 20+ years of experience brokering un-anchored retail strip centers.

 

In the episode released on March 25th, 2025, Jeff Enck reflects on his career in commercial real estate while also providing key insights into the net lease retail/strip center sector. Regarding the current misconceptions in the news around retail “going away,” Enck notes that while that is true for some older brands that have recently filed for bankruptcy, retail is actually the “hottest asset class around right now.” He notes that he has seen retail centers around the country reporting 94-95% occupancy, reassuring that “strength is still out there.”

Enck highlights that 10-20 year old, “seasoned” developments present great opportunity in today’s market. The properties possess below market rent, which buyers are utilizing as an opportunity to raise rents over time. A key component of these seasoned developments is “having smaller spaces that aren’t catastrophic” in potential cases of losing tenants.

 

Listen to the full podcast to learn more from Jeff Enck about the net lease retail market and strip centers moving forward.