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Retail Retold

Retail Retold

Written by: DLC Management Corp.
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 The Retail Retold Podcast highlights community retailer stories from across the country and gives a behind-the-scenes perspective from business leaders in both retail and real estate industries. The show’s episodes contain valuable insights that help solve the needs of entrepreneurs and real estate pros. Each week our guests share stories of what worked, what didn’t, the ups and downs – giving the audience a critical set of tools needed for business success. Join host Chris Ressa and new guests weekly for amazing insights and thought-provoking stories. Brought to you by DLC Management Corp.917824 Economics
Episodes
  • Inside ICSC Las Vegas 2026: Why Retail Real Estate Has Never Been Stronger

    Inside ICSC Las Vegas 2026: Why Retail Real Estate Has Never Been Stronger
    May 18 2026

    The retail real estate industry is entering ICSC Las Vegas with momentum, confidence, and a fundamentally different supply-demand dynamic.

    Recorded live from the SiriusXM Studios at Wynn Las Vegas ahead of ICSC Las Vegas 2026, this special episode of Retail Retold brings together two of the industry’s most influential voices: Tom McGee, President and CEO of ICSC, and Adam Ifshin, Founder and CEO of DLC.

    The conversation dives directly into the biggest themes shaping retail real estate today, including the unprecedented strength of the open-air shopping center sector, the ongoing supply and demand imbalance in retail space, the rise of PropTech and AI, and the resilience of the American consumer.

    McGee shares why this year’s ICSC Las Vegas feels different from previous years, pointing to the launch of ICSC+PropTech and ICSC+Women in CRE as major new initiatives designed to meet the evolving needs of the industry. With more than 180 technology companies participating in year one, the discussion highlights how AI, operational technology, and data-driven decision making are rapidly changing how landlords and retailers operate.

    Adam and Tom also explore why retail fundamentals remain exceptionally strong despite economic uncertainty. They discuss rising traffic at value-oriented shopping centers, the lack of new retail construction, the importance of employment stability, and how retailers have become more operationally disciplined since the pandemic.

    The episode closes with a forward-looking conversation about AI’s impact on the shopping journey, why physical stores remain central to retail, and how consumer expectations will continue to evolve in an increasingly tech-enabled world.

    Whether you are attending ICSC Las Vegas or following the future of retail real estate from afar, this episode offers a timely look at where the industry is heading next.

    What You’ll Hear
    • Why ICSC Las Vegas 2026 feels different from previous years
    • The launch of ICSC+PropTech and ICSC+Women in CRE
    • Why retail real estate fundamentals remain historically strong
    • The ongoing supply and demand imbalance in retail space
    • How AI is reshaping retail operations and consumer behavior
    • Why physical stores remain critical in an omnichannel world
    • The resilience of the American consumer despite inflation concerns
    • How retailers became stronger and more disciplined after the pandemic
    • Why value-oriented shopping centers continue gaining traffic
    • What the future of retail development and leasing may look like

    Chapters

    00:00 – Welcome from the SiriusXM Studios at Wynn Las Vegas

    02:15 – Why ICSC Las Vegas 2026 feels different

    05:48 – The launch of ICSC+PropTech and the future of retail technology

    11:32 – Leveraging ICSC’s scale to drive innovation

    14:05 – The state of the American consumer

    20:40 – Why value retail continues to outperform

    24:12 – Retailers becoming more disciplined and resilient post-pandemic

    29:08 – The supply and demand imbalance in retail real estate
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    22 mins
  • The Pregame Show for Retail Real Estate’s Super Bowl

    The Pregame Show for Retail Real Estate’s Super Bowl
    May 17 2026
    From the SiriusXM Studio at Wynn: Retail’s Next Big MoveBroadcast live from the SiriusXM Studios at the Wynn Las Vegas and kicking off ICSC Las Vegas, Retail Retold stepped onto one of the biggest stages in the industry for a special conversation between Chris Ressa and DLC Founder and CEO Adam Ifshin. As Adam put it during the recording: “What is more fitting for Retail Retold to be the pregame show for the Super Bowl of retail real estate?”The episode captures the energy, optimism, and momentum surrounding retail real estate as thousands of industry leaders gather in Las Vegas for the year’s most important dealmaking event.Chris and Adam dive into DLC’s newly released thought leadership campaign, The Rent Is Next, and unpack why retail fundamentals may be stronger today than at any point in the last 35 years. Adam explains why years of underbuilding, limited available space, and stronger retailer performance are creating mounting pressure on rents across the country. He also shares why he believes retail cap rates still have room to compress as more institutional and foreign capital rotates back into the sector.The conversation moves beyond market fundamentals into the future of the business itself, from the evolving role of operators to the growing importance of redevelopment, densification, and platform-driven value creation. Adam also gives his perspective on artificial intelligence, why AI will accelerate productivity rather than eliminate opportunity, and how the best operators will use technology to scale smarter and faster.The episode closes with a rapid-fire discussion on mixed-use development, capital markets, the next generation entering the industry, and DLC’s long-term vision to become one of the largest owner-operators of open-air retail in America.What You’ll HearWhy Adam Ifshin calls ICSC Las Vegas the “Super Bowl of retail real estate” and why Retail Retold belonged in the SiriusXM Studios at WynnThe story behind DLC’s newest thought leadership campaign: The Rent Is NextWhy retail rents may finally be entering a major growth cycle after decades of stagnationHow limited new development is reshaping the future of open-air retailAdam’s outlook on cap rates, institutional capital, and why investors are rotating back into retailWhy the “age of the operator” is real — and what separates great operators from everyone elseHow DLC evolved beyond ownership into construction, architecture, and platform-driven servicesAdam’s take on AI, productivity, and why leadership matters more than technology itselfRapid-fire predictions on mixed-use, foreign capital, retail jobs, AI, and the future of CREDLC’s vision to become one of the largest owner-operators of open-air retail in AmericaChapters00:00 – Live from the SiriusXM Studios at Wynn Las VegasChris and Adam set the stage from ICSC Las Vegas and discuss why this feels like the “pregame show for the Super Bowl of retail real estate.”01:35 – Adam Ifshin’s origin storyFrom starting a business in his college dorm room to launching DLC during the savings and loan crisis.07:45 – “The Rent Is Next”Why retail fundamentals are stronger than they’ve been in decades — and why rents are finally moving.12:45 – Cap rates, capital flows and investor sentimentWhy retail real estate is no longer sitting in the industry’s “penalty box.”16:15 – The next risk facing retail real estateAdam breaks down inflation, geopolitical uncertainty and the long-term risk of overbuilding.19:10 – What separates great operators todayWhy the best teams are adapting differently in today’s retail environment.22:50 – AI and the future of commercial real estateAdam shares why AI is a productivity accelerator — not a replacement for people.28:15 – Real or hype? Rapid fireMixed-use, foreign capital, cap rates, AI, retail jobs and more.34:30 – What DLC believed before others didAdam explains why low rents became one of DLC’s greatest competitive advantages.37:00 – Lessons learned and playing offenseHow DLC scaled aggressively coming out of the pandemic.38:30 – Why DLC expanded into construction and architectureThe strategy behind Renovo and NWS — and how the platform continues evolving.43:30 – The future of DLCAdam shares his vision for the next decade of growth across DLC, Renovo and NWS.
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    47 mins
  • Can AI Negotiate a Lease?

    Can AI Negotiate a Lease?
    May 14 2026

    Retail leasing could be entering a completely different era of speed.

    Anyone who has worked on retail leases knows the process can feel endless.

    Versions flying back and forth.

    Redlines buried in email chains.

    Hours spent drafting language that’s been negotiated a hundred times before.

    And somehow, despite all the technology in the world, a huge part of the leasing process still feels manual.

    David Saltman came back on the podcast to talk about why that’s finally starting to change.

    As CEO of LeasePilot, David has spent years focused on one of the least glamorous but most important parts of retail real estate operations: getting leases done faster, cleaner, and with less friction. What started as an automation platform is now evolving alongside AI, and the conversation gets into where the industry may actually be headed next.

    Not hypothetically.

    Practically.

    Chris and David discuss the real operational pain points behind lease negotiations, why institutional knowledge trapped in PDFs and inboxes slows companies down, and how AI could eventually help legal teams, landlords, and retailers make smarter decisions before mistakes happen.

    The bigger takeaway is that retail real estate may be entering a new operational era.

    For decades, leasing teams accepted delays, repetitive drafting, and fragmented information as part of the business. But once companies begin organizing lease data intelligently and automating repetitive work, the speed of decision-making changes.

    And in this business, speed matters.

    This conversation isn’t really about replacing people. It’s about removing friction from one of the most frustrating processes in commercial real estate.

    What You’ll Hear

    • Why AI alone won’t fix broken leasing workflows
    • How lease negotiations could become largely automated
    • The operational cost of slow lease drafting
    • Why retailers are adopting legal automation faster now
    • What happens when lease data becomes actionable intelligence?

    Chapters

    00:01 — Meet David Saltman

    David introduces LeasePilot and explains how the platform approaches lease automation.

    01:05 — How lease automation actually works

    A breakdown of the legal logic, workflows, and operational structure behind LeasePilot’s system.

    03:10 — Automation vs. AI

    David explains why LeasePilot historically focused on automation; and why AI is changing the conversation.

    06:04 — The rise of the “intelligence layer”

    How AI could help identify lease conflicts, exclusives, co-tenancy risks, and negotiation issues in real time.

    07:48 — Will LeasePilot become an AI company?

    A candid discussion about where AI fits into the future of leasing technology.

    09:30 — Beyond leases

    Why contract automation is expanding into amendments, estoppels, SNDAs, and other real estate documents.

    12:16 — The time savings are real

    How lease drafting timelines are shrinking from hours to minutes; and why speed changes negotiations.

    14:04 — Why tenants are adopting LeasePilot

    David explains the growing demand from retailers and tenant-side legal teams.

    18:08 — The AI pressure facing every proptech company

    Chris challenges David on whether non-AI software can still compete in today’s market.

    20:17 — What AI is already doing inside LeasePilot

    From LOI extraction to automated abstracts, David shares what’s already live today.

    21:26 — The future of AI lease negotiations

    Chris and David explore the possibility of AI-driven negotiation strategy and autonomous dealmaking.

    25:10 — The untapped value hidden in leasing data

    Why the next major opportunity may be using lease intelligence to improve tenant mix and center performance.

    26:00 — Final thoughts and where to find LeasePilot

    David shares why simplifying leasing workflows still matters, even in an AI-driven future.
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    28 mins
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