Twenty-sixteen was very much a year of disruption. As the theme for 2017 begins to take shape, we once again forecast what industry leaders believe to be the most influential trends for the new year. Curated by Louise Marsland and Bizcommunity's editorial team, #BizTrends2017 features trend predictions by industry experts across all industries. Related posts will be published throughout the month in each respective portal and together in the special section for ease of reference. To get it going, Dion Chang and Raleen Bagg from Flux Trends present six trends for 2017, one of them being retailers capitalising on their real estate by offering on-site services and experiences after hours. Everything from office spaces for nomadic workers to sleepovers! With a number of unforeseen events in 2016, such as Brexit and the Trump victory, while we endeavour to predict and prepare for the future of retail, we also look forward to the unexpected and what it could mean for the industry. Here's to a bigger, better and bolder 2017!

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