The headache of retail expansion

Retailers that are looking to open to new shopfronts are being hamstrung by huge construction costs and a lack of builders. Business is going so well for Dr Vivek Eranki’s Cosmetique that he is planning to open 30 new beauty, injectables and laser hair-removal clinics across the country in the next 12 months. The problem is that construction time and costs are blowing out. He says he prefers buying a property, rather than leasing, as it reflects well on the balance sheet, and he can plan more easily because he knows what the expenses will be.