Large retail centers used to be revered for their prestige and variety. Getting to the 2 million-square-foot Sears and Roebuck center in Atlanta, GA was once a pilgrimage for consumers throughout the region. The days of such super-sized department stores are long gone. With the growing popularity of online shopping, brick-and-mortar stores are steadily shrinking. This trend is likely to continue but that doesn’t mean that REITS and owners will see less cash flow from their vast, existing properties. Data leasing, the new frontier, is proving to be a gold mine full of possibilities. CBL & Associates is introducing the Digital Star program at its properties. It is a set of fiber paths, routers, and related infrastructure that is made available to tenants in CBL properties. Three shopping centers are piloting Digital Star this year. “The new space for lease is all digital,” says Mike Harrison, Senior Vice President at CBL. “It’s a whole new way of thinking. It’s in high demand.” The average demand ranges from 4-10 megabytes for most retailers but there are tenants such as Microsoft and Apple that need well over 100 megabytes. To meet the growing demand, CBL has teamed up with Granite Communications to provide data management and services. Together, they offer tenants brick-and-mortar stores with a range of digital capabilities. The duo is constantly thinking on its feet. The need for data will only increase as retailers explore methods in which digital and online tools can enhance the customer experience and improve the efficiency of operations. Consumers motivate the bulk of data demands. Even when they are inside of a store, consumers continue to shop and research online for product reviews, detailed product descriptions, and offers from competitors. In addition to in-store wi-fi, consumers expect increasingly interactive...