Creating great retail places involves the development of a vision that considers the assets and characteristics of the community it serves. Urban Retail Advisors leads the client through a discovery process that identifies a community’s needs, history, trends and critical attributes. Those findings coalesce to form a foundation upon which an authentic retail offering can be built. Did someone say fieldtrip?
Is the retail vision grounded in reality? Urban Retail Advisors makes absolutely sure by analyzing marketplace retail inventories, consumer demographics, lifestyle segmentation, existing infrastructures and access to resources. The gathered data leads to a set of recommendations with respect to available retail absorption, consumer spending potential, leasing economics, space sizing and other critical developmental issues.
The Project for Public Spaces says that “placemaking creates value by strengthening the connection between people and the places they share.”
Retail placemaking takes that concept a step further by setting the stage for retail activity. It crafts the retail storyline and engages the consumer. The resulting activity showcases market demand and provides valuable consumer data for future brick-and-mortar tenants.
This work often manifests as temporary retail activations, including pop-ups, street-corner programming, craft and holiday markets, trunk shows, and art installations. Add in dog and stroller parks, beer gardens, fashion shows, and voilà—instant retail karma.
Often, cities and towns find that they need a specialized approach to attracting retail activity to new mixed-use projects or revitalizing a downtown business district. While a traditional retail brokerage effort is a good starting point, a more robust approach is often necessary, particularly in unproven consumer markets or commercial districts undergoing a rebranding.
In these instances, a Retail Recruitment Strategy can serve as an accelerator, helping position a district or project in a way that generates interest and stimulates activity. The process often begins with developing a compelling retail storyline—one that highlights a town’s unique characteristics, amenities, and demand drivers that appeal to prospective retailers. Reinforced by trade area data, targeted marketing, and community engagement, this approach can generate the visibility and momentum needed to attract retail interest.
With the placemaking complete and a merchandising plan in place, Urban Retail Advisors gets to work on marketing the project to potential tenants. Having leased thousands of square feet of space across a wide variety of retail classifications, we understand how to procure tenants and negotiating deals. Over the years we have also accumulated coveted list of operators within specific industries who we can contact for leasing opportunities.
Our retail brokerage services include:
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