Retail Consulting
The RVC approach
A multi-pronged strategy
Master Plan
Our Master Plan consulting work has included: Devimco's Griffintown, CarbonLeo's Royalmount, First Capital REIT's Christie Cookie, RioCan's The Well and First Gulf's Unilever site. In all assignments, after working with the development team to hire the right "retail" expertise we consulted on retail tenant mix and retail strategy execution.
Our love for retail and shopping centres led to more real estate tours.
RFPs for Master Plan Architects
In 2009 we had our first assignment. We ran a real estate tour through the UK which included Ireland and then back in London to introduce the group to the three architects whose properties they had toured. That led to the creation of a Request For Proposal and subsequent hiring of one of the architectural firms. We were involved in the creation of the RFP, the selection of candidates, the review of submissions and the hiring of the architect. Our role was then expanded to being a member of the development team and attending all meetings.
Tenant Mix
Developers need to understand what works and what does not. As Canadian urban markets intensify, our tours have focused on world class cities that have a variety of mixed use developments to visit. Our tours have often included behind the scene tours by property managers, architects and owners. It is very informative to understand the operations side including garbage disposal, loading and tenant flow.
International Mixed Used Tours
A well conceived retail tenant mix is integral to the long term success of the development. Retailers who cater to the primary trade areas, demographics and culture will succeed and add value to the customer experience. Understanding the trade area's existing offerings as well as consumer trends are drivers of the ultimate mix. Space and tenant allocation in addition to the physical space configuration and have a direct impact on the projects pro forma.
