The food and beverage industry is being transformed by destination dining and the rise in apartment living. 

Matt Nichols, managing director of Nichols Crowder, will be hosting a breakout session titled 'Retail spaces - realise the potential' at this year's REIV Ignite conference on 21 March at Crown Conference Centre.

Nichols spoke to WILLIAMS MEDIA about how he sees the exciting future of retail.

"We believe the greatest change in retail is going to be in food and beverage, and the key driver is the increase in people living in apartments," said Nichols.

Apartment dwellers tend to eat out more often, and will look to destination-based dining, where outlets can be found in a single location.

Nichols said the type of outlet will be determined by the type of drinks served. Outlets that focus on beer will serve hamburgers and so on, while wine is more likely to be served in restaurants. Nichols said gin and whisky distilleries are gaining in popularity.

Food and beverage retail has the potential to inject new life into destination hubs, particularly on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, said Nichols.

Nichols said the panelists bring an exceptionally exciting range of knowledge and ideas to the table. The panelists are:

• Andrew Danson: Director, Urban Food Collective 
• Chad Hermsen: Head of Leasing, The Pacific Group of Companies 
• Bec McHenry: Founding Director, The Space Agency 

Click here to find out more and to buy tickets to the REIV 2018 Ignite conference.

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Victoria's tenancy reforms could weigh on supply at a time of strong population growth: Gil King, REIV