CBRE forms omnichannel real estate practice

Real estate and logistics services firm CBRE Group Inc. has formed an omnichannel real estate practice to coordinate its work for clients who straddle the converging sectors of retail stores and logistics facilities, the company said today.

The omnichannel real estate practice is designed to advise clients on effectively combining their brick-and-mortar store portfolios with their expanding real estate networks for e-commerce distribution and fulfillment, Los Angeles-based CBRE said. Retailers are rushing to merge their storefront and warehouse operations in order to survive in an e-commerce economy where customers expect a smooth shopping experience whether they access merchandise online or in stores, according to CBRE.

The division will be led by company veterans Adam Mullen, the senior managing director and Americas leader of CBRE Industrial & Logistics, and Brandon Famous, senior managing director of CBRE Retail Advisory & Transaction Services.

"Retailers are being forced to re-evaluate how they go to market, balancing their front-end retail real estate with back-end fulfillment networks and their overall digital presence," Famous said in a statement. "This transformation of modern retail due to e-commerce has made expertise in logistics strategies and supply chain design a must-have, strategic differentiator for retailers."

CBRE will support the new omnichannel real estate practice with contributed services from other company sectors, including its forum analytics, supply chain services, location intelligence, labor analytics, incentives, and capital markets divisions.