Conor Flynn, CEO of Kimco Realty (NYSE: KIM) and Nareit 2025 Chair, sat down for a video interview during Nareit’s REITweek: 2025 Investor Conference in New York City June 2-5.
Despite shifting consumer sentiment, “the resiliency is there,” Flynn said, with traffic counts to shopping centers up 4% year to date. With Kimco’s focus on grocery-anchored centers and essential retail, “we’re well-positioned to get through this noisy period.”
On the leasing side, retailers are “still optimistic about the long term growth profile of their fleets,” Flynn said. Occupancy is at an all-time high, creating pricing power for landlords. “When we do get a space back, we get multiple tenants bidding for it,” he said.
Meanwhile, “private capital continues to form for our sector,” Flynn said, noting that debt capital markets are “wide open.” Flynn also touched on Kimco’s aspirations to be a leader in creating efficiencies through technological innovation.