Plain Talk Archives Index

Keeping up with Your Competitors: Are Location Analytics the New Secret Weapon? (3/25/2021)
It’s classic business wisdom: when defining your strategies and tactics, you need to understand the competitive environment. No business operates in a vacuum. What are your competitors . . .

A New Way of Approaching Tenant Recruitment (3/11/2021)
The success of brokers, developers, and commercial property owners ultimately rests on their ability to attract tenants. Unless you are lucky enough to represent a property with a waiting list of eager tenants, tenant recruitment is likely an important . . .

3 Factors That Will Impact Economic Development in 2021 (2/25/2021)
As we leave 2020 behind and dive into 2021, it’s become clearer and clearer that the world we once knew has changed, in some ways . . .

Black Friday Consumer Foot Traffic Data Reveals What’s Happening to Malls and Retail Tenants (12/3/2020)
Commercial real estate industry professionals are watching this year’s holiday retailing season with interest. Tenant bankruptcies, closures, and other cash flow difficulties have made it a difficult year for retail real estate property owners, investors, and developers. A good holiday shopping season for retailers has . . .

10 Steps to a Successful Business Retention and Expansion Program (11/12/2020)
Although new business recruitment is a priority of many economic development strategies, business retention and expansion should be an integral economic development policy to ascertain the health of existing businesses in a community.

The Future of Retail: An Update for Community Leaders (9/17/2020)
In March 2020, when most of the country “shut down,” many thought it was a temporary measure and some considered it overly cautious. As the weeks have turned into months . . .

Building Consumer Confidence in the Tourism and Hospitality Industries (8/20/2020)
Worldwide, COVID‑19 has wreaked havoc on the tourism and hospitality industries, and the length of economic recovery is still unknown. Tourism and hospitality play an important role in the local economies of many communities. As businesses start to slowly and cautiously reopen, how can you and your local businesses inspire . . .

Evaluating Investment Opportunities as the Economic Recovery Begins (7/30/2020)
The rapidly evolving consumer behavior and resulting economic challenges sparked by the COVID‑19 pandemic are poised to leave a dramatic mark on many . . .

Strong Consumer Demand Fuels 18% Rise in U.S. Retail Sales in May 2020 (7/9/2020)
In a happy turn of events for the retail industry, U.S. retail sales rose nearly 18% month‑over‑month in May 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. While sales have not yet returned to pre‑lockdown levels, May’s sales figures reveal . . .

3 Steps Retailers and Restaurants Need to Take in Response to Evolving Customer Behavior (6/16/2020)
Customer engagement with the retail and restaurant industries is constantly evolving. Lifestyles and preferences change. Technology introduces new ways of interacting with brands. Expectations shift.
The COVID‑19 pandemic, however, introduced rapid and pronounced changes in . . .

COVID‑19: Where’s the Risk? (5/7/2020)
The COVID‑19 pandemic hit the U.S. hard and fast, leaving organizations in all industries scrambling to assess the risk and take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of their employees and customers.

Not “Business as Usual”: How Communities Can Support Local Businesses During the COVID-19 Pandemic (4/2/2020)
And now we wait. Waiting patiently does not come naturally, so this is hard. We want to find the problem and fix it, fight it, remove it, but that’s not possible right now. So, what can you, as a community leader, do to help . . .

Retail and Restaurant Real Estate Trends to Watch in 2020 (2/20/2020)
The retail and restaurant industries are constantly evolving. To help retail and restaurant decision makers navigate the changing environment, Buxton surveys our subject matter experts to identify the most important retail and restaurant real estate trends each year. The following . . .

Restaurant Strategy: 4 Tips for Winning in Today’s Marketplace (1/2/2020)
Once upon a time, defining a restaurant strategy was a fairly straight forward process. Competition was clearly defined. Distribution channels were limited to in-person dining and perhaps some catering. Consumers spent a growing portion . . .

Prioritizing Retail Recruitment Strategies (12/5/2019)
Retail recruitment requires a multi‑faceted strategy so that when the economic development team approaches a targeted retailer, they’ve done their homework. The team needs to understand the company, its culture, and its expansion goals, and to report with confidence how . . .

3 Steps for Success in Moving Healthcare Services to Retail Centers (11/21/2019)
Healthcare providers have been gradually moving into retail centers for a number of years now, but the trend has finally gained . . .

Thinking Beyond Residents: Defining Your Community’s True Consumer Base (11/7/2019)
No matter what your industry, defining who your customers are and how many of them there are is a critical process in planning for your next move. Without that crucial information, you end up ...

Where Should You Grow? Identifying Healthcare Market Opportunity (10/24/2019)
Opening new healthcare facilities isn’t the same process that it used to be. The old “If you build it, they will come” mantra is no longer a guarantee, which means providers need to take a hard look at ...

New Study Shows the Retail Industry Isn’t Struggling as Much as You May Think (10/3/2019)
Today’s news headlines scream the end of the retail industry as we know it. This “retail apocalypse” has been discussed so often that it is embraced as fact.
But is it true?

Territory Optimization: A Game‑Changer for Growing Franchises (8/22/2019)
Today’s franchisors face two big challenges: identifying the best territories for expansion and then developing those territories to the fullest. Through territory optimization, franchisors can . . .

5 Tips for Recruiting Franchisees to Your Community (8/8/2019)
During the retail and restaurant attraction process, city government leaders often face the challenge of recruiting franchisees. The reason is simple: many retail and restaurant projects require . . .

How Mobile GPS Data Can Take You Where You Want To Go (7/18/2019)
Sometimes, companies will come to us for customer insights, but they lack the data necessary for in‑depth analytics. In these instances, mobile GPS data technology can be an effective solution. In addition to assisting with customer profiles and behavioral analyses, mobile GPS data offers other benefits . . .

What Diners Expect at Restaurants – Insights From RLC (5/16/2019)
As younger generations gain buying power, their preferences and expectations are having an impact on the restaurant industry across all sectors.

All Customers Are Not Alike: Improving Profitability in the Restaurant Space (5/9/2019)
It’s no secret that the restaurant industry is oversaturated, especially in the quick-serve and fast casual categories and sales are . . .

3 Applications of Mobile GPS Data for Brokers and Developers (5/2/2019)
Developing retail commercial real estate requires a substantial investment of resources including money, property, and time. Keen developers are willing to commit these resources because they understand that the payoff can be well worth it. However, . . .

Customer Analytics the Key to Success for Online Retailers Opening Brick-and-Mortar Stores (4/18/2019)
Once upon a time, everyone thought that online retailers represented the future of the retail industry. But as these brands have matured, they quickly discovered that physical stores have an important role to play in reaching new customers and driving ...

Commercial Due Diligence Report Checklist (4/4/2019)
Commercial due diligence is an important aspect of the pre-investment process for private equity firms. Today, traditional commercial due diligence has been greatly improved by the introduction of ...

Building Blocks of Customer Analytics: Laying the Foundation With Customer Data (3/28/2019)
Customer analytics is a type of market research that is a powerful tool for B2C brands. It can be applied to real estate, marketing, operations, and many other areas of your business.

Understanding the 3 Primary Types of Healthcare Site Selection Models (3/14/2019)
As the healthcare industry continues to shift to a consumer-centric strategy, a growing number of providers are implementing site selection models to guide their real estate decisions. Real estate site selection models come with many unfamiliar ...

How to Put Your Tourism Market Analysis Into Action Through Targeted Marketing (2/28/2019)
Congratulations! You took the first step toward enhancing your tourism development strategy by conducting a tourism market analysis.
Now what’s next?

Understanding the Role of a Growth Potential Analysis in Commercial Due Diligence (2/14/2019)
If you have worked in private equity for any length of time, you are likely familiar with the concept of a growth potential analysis. This type of analysis is referred to ...

Using Predictive Analytics to Inform Add‑On Targeting for Platform Investments (1/31/2019)
The buy-and-build strategy has become a go-to play in every general partner’s (GP’s) playbook. Roughly half of all buyouts in 2017 and a third of all buyouts in Q1 of 2018 have been add‑ons to existing platforms.

Targeted Marketing: What the C-Suite Needs to Know (1/17/2019)
For many business leaders in the c-suite, targeted marketing services can be a confusing web of unfamiliar terminology and seemingly pointless expenses.

3 Trends Retail and Restaurant Real Estate Pros Should Watch in 2019 (1/3/2019)
Real estate professionals know that the retail and restaurant industries are constantly changing. Those changes can have big implications for retail real estate strategies. While there are many trends influencing the retail and restaurant industries today, there is one overarching theme ...

What You Could be Missing Without Data Analytics (12/13/2018)
You’ve probably heard about the rise of data analytics in the retail and restaurant industries, and if you’ve been reading this blog then you’ve seen some of the insights analytics can provide a company. With so many possibilities ...

3 Tips for Evaluating Franchise Marketing Systems (12/6/2018)
Today, many franchisors are seeking new methods to help their franchisees acquire new customers. While they realize that customization by franchise location is beneficial, many corporate marketing teams don’t have ...

Defining Your Restaurant Site Selection Process (11/22/2018)
The restaurant site selection process involves some of the most critical decisions a brand will make. When done well, it can be a strategic advantage that positions the restaurant brand for long-term success. When done poorly, it can ...

How to Expand Businesses: Four Best Practices for Small and Medium Sized Brands (11/8/2018)
Developing the right business growth strategy for your retail or restaurant brand can be a challenge, particularly during the earlier stages of growth. The ever-shifting demands of running a business can leave little time for ...

Strategic Site Selection: 3 Best Practices for Consumer Businesses (11/1/2018)
Site selection has traditionally been viewed as a tactical activity. If a business needs to open 30 more units next year, the real estate team treats each site selection decision as separate process and executes that process with ...

Restaurant Industry Trends Watch: Eating Local, Experiential Dining and Delivery (10/11/2018)
In recent years, there have been a plethora of articles outlining the state of restaurant industry trends and which ones are having their moment in the spotlight. While it can be overwhelming to keep up with seemingly never-ending changes, there are a few trends that seem to be here for the ...

3 Reasons to Consider a Tourism Analysis (10/4/2018)
Tourism analysis is not a new concept. Since tourism is an important economic driver for many communities, most tourism-focused cities invest significant resources to collect visitor data to ...

3 Stages of Business Growth and How to Navigate Them (9/20/2018)
Every company wants to grow their business, but growth can mean radically different things depending on your brand’s stage in the business life cycle. Each stage of business growth presents new challenges, but it also presents new opportunities ...

How Local Marketing Can Strengthen Your Restaurant Franchise Network (9/6/2018)
As the restaurant landscape continues to evolve, many franchisors are looking for ways to help their franchisees bring in new customers and beat the ...

How to Get More From Your Customer Satisfaction Data (8/23/2018)
With the advent of digital consumer technology, it’s easier than ever for retail and restaurant brands to collect customer satisfaction data through post-purchase surveys and other techniques. Many brands have taken advantage of this new capability ...

Marketing Basics for Successful Business Attraction and Community Development (8/15/2018)
No matter what role you hold with a local government, if you are involved with the process of attracting new businesses to your community, you are a marketer. In order to recruit the best businesses – particularly retailers – for your residents, it’s crucial to effectively ...

3 Tips for Franchise Territory Mapping to Streamline the Franchise Sales Process (8/2/2018)
It’s franchise sales 101: if you want to sell franchise territories, you have to define where those territories are going to be placed. In the early days of ...

Retail Recruitment - Does it Always Follow Rooftops? (7/19/2018)
The adage “retail follows rooftops” sometimes leads small communities or those with stagnant growth to believe that retail recruitment efforts are pointless, but is that true?

How Franchisees Can Bring Marketing to the Local Level (7/12/2018)
In the franchise marketing world, it’s common to see a franchisor develop one-size-fits-all marketing materials for their franchise networks. While this may assist with overall ...

Casual Restaurants Use Daypart Customer Analytics to Regain Market Share (7/5/2018)
Casual dining operators are faced with the challenge of recapturing market share that has been lost to competition not only from other casual restaurant operators, but from fast casual and quick service concepts.
To combat this loss ...

Expert Tips on Building Placemaking and Developer Partnerships (6/28/2018)
What is placemaking, and how can cities effectively work with developers to foster inviting spaces?

5 Things Franchisors Should Do To Ensure Growth (6/21/2018)

4 Data–Driven Steps to Customer Loyalty (6/7/2018)

How Market Opportunity Analysis Can Guide Your Real Estate Strategy (5/31/2018)

What’s happening to the middle market grocer? (5/17/2018)

Two Critical Questions to Ask During Your Annual Strategic Planning (5/3/2018)

2018 Retail and Restaurant Real Estate Trends (4/5/2018)

Capturing Lost Revenue Through Local Store Marketing (3/29/2018)

Micro Level Data: Are You Overlooking This Valuable Source of Real Estate Intelligence? (3/15/2018)

What is Sales Forecasting in Site Selection? (2/28/2018)

What to do When Your Retail Recruitment Efforts Are “Stuck” (2/15/2018)

Restaurant Expansion: Emerging Restaurant Markets (2/1/2018)

Trends Shaking Up the Retail Location and Site Selection Process (1/25/2018)