Revenge of the Malls -- Now Playing Near You

Business 101... Wow. How could I resist buying Clicks and Mortar, Pottruck and Pearce's new book? But it turns out to be much more of a basic business strategy book, and it's actually more about its subtitle, Passion-Driven Growth in an Internet-Driven World. And that's the curious part of "clicks and mortar." It's just a descriptive phrase; it's not an action plan. What really matters is corporate culture. According to the authors, "In this business world driven by the Internet, corporate culture is the central competitive advantage." And that's people, not technology!

So I smiled recently when Luis Belmonte of AMB started a marvelous presentation on technology and real estate by asking the audience to raise their hands, "If you have NOT heard the expression: The Internet changes everything." (No hands went up.) And then he went on to outline a series of business dynamics (like the shrinking pipeline of finished goods linking manufacturers to consumers) that have been occurring for decades. ... Hmm. So maybe the Internet doesn't change everything?

Here's the final word from Thomas Friedman (New York Times, May 30, 2000) who had just returned from the ICSC extravaganza in Las Vegas. "Imagine a world in which you will be able to go to just one place, walk from shop to shop, and see, touch, feel or try on anything you like, and then buy it right there and take it home with you. Without worrying about your credit card number being stolen, or how U.P.S. will deliver it, or how you will ship it back if it doesn't fit. Imagine such a world! It's also just around the corner -- right now. It's called the mall." ... Cool. Sounds like real estate.

PikeNet Expo... "Building the real estate eMarketplace." That's the theme of the PikeNet Expo where you'll find the tools and resources to develop your own click-and-mortar, oops, I mean BUSINESS, strategy. You'll have fun. Check out the latest information on the Expo at the New York Hilton, Oct 23-24, 2000 www.pikenet.com/expo2000.

--Peter