Sembler top executive 'cautiously optimistic' about future

The top executive at The Sember Co. is “cautiously optimistic” about the state of retail despite dire warnings about a “retail apocalypse” brought about by online shopping that some contend threatens to cripple the sector.

Ron Wheeler, the St. Petersburg-based shopping center owner’s CEO, says upon returning from this year’s International Council of Shopping Center ReCon conference in Las Vegas that many retail landlords and tenants are successfully navigating the new shopping landscape.