The Retail Strategy

28/10/2026

Great retail locations don't happen by accident. 📍

Behind every successful expansion strategy are conversations, collaboration, market insights, and a team focused on getting the details right.

At The Retail Strategy, we bring together brokerage expertise, location and brand intelligence, and a shared commitment to helping our clients make smarter real estate decisions.

Whether we're evaluating new markets, discussing opportunities, or solving challenges together, it's all part of helping great brands grow.

What's one factor you think brands shouldn't overlook when planning their next location?

26/10/2026

Please join us in welcoming Matt Stone to The Retail Strategy! 🎉

Matt brings extensive experience in commercial real estate brokerage and a strong understanding of what it takes to navigate the complexities of retail real estate.

As an established broker, Matt adds valuable industry knowledge, relationships, and expertise to our growing team. We're excited to have him on board as we continue helping our brand partners identify great locations and execute successful growth strategies.

Welcome to TRS, Matt! We're glad you're here.

20/10/2026

Sunday was a great night supporting an even greater cause, with one particularly adorable photo op! 🐮

Members of the TRS team with friends and family were proud to come together for the recent Foster Village gala in support of the important work they do for children and families in our community.

Foster Village is an organization close to our hearts at TRS, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to support their mission through both giving and volunteering throughout the year. We loved celebrating their impact alongside so many others who care deeply about strengthening our community!

19/10/2026

We have to give Brie credit, she really committed to her Halloween costume this year. 🐈‍⬛🎃

The TRS office is officially getting into the Halloween spirit, with a little help from an adorable visitor at Brie’s desk!

15/10/2026

This week we're celebrating two incredible women and two important milestones at The Retail Strategy! 🎉

Over the past five years, Lauren Paulson has continued to grow as a real estate professional and into an accomplished leader within our team. Her experience, perspective, and commitment to those around her make an impact every day, and we're proud to see her continue to flourish.

In three years with TRS, Siobhan Pitan has established herself as a top Real Estate Manager and an invaluable part of our team. She brings drive, expertise, and a commitment to getting great work done for our clients, and we can't wait to see where she goes next.

We're so fortunate to have talented women like Lauren and Siobhan building their careers at TRS and helping make our team stronger along the way.

Congratulations, Lauren and Siobhan, and thank you for all you do for us! 🥂

13/10/2026

A little cake, a little tea, and a whole lot of growth, from neighborhood favorites to the world’s most iconic arches. 😊

We're proud to see three brands we have the privilege of supporting at The Retail Strategy featured in the 2026 Franchise Times Top 400, each showing what’s possible when strong brands and smart growth come together.

🍰 Nothing Bundt Cakes: 15.7% sales growth, reaching $990 million and ranking No. 84.

🧊 HTeaO: 27% sales growth, reaching $147 million and ranking No. 286.

🍟 McDonald’s: 6.7% sales growth, reaching $139.4 billion and holding the No. 1 spot.

These figures reflect 2025 global systemwide sales, and behind every number are the people, franchise partners, and communities helping these brands thrive.

At The Retail Strategy, our mission is to help brands grow with purpose by creating places where businesses, communities, and people can flourish. Helping turn a brand’s growth vision into the right locations, creating meaningful community connections and lasting impact is what makes this work so rewarding.

Congratulations to these teams! We’re grateful for your trust and proud of our TRS team’s care, strategy, and hustle in supporting your growth. 💛

06/10/2026

Last week, we brought our team together for our quarterly strategy sessions to reflect on Q3, celebrate our wins, and set the stage for a strong finish to 2026!

Beyond reviewing progress and aligning on Q4 priorities, we spent time focused on what matters most: our people, their professional growth, and how we continue to get better together.

We're grateful for the perspectives, collaboration, and energy everyone brought to the table. Many thanks to several of our valued advisors who also joined the discussions. There's a lot to be proud of and even more to look forward to as we close out the year!

25/09/2026

17 years of The Retail Strategy. 💙

In 2009, it started with Lauren and Greg, a big vision, and even bigger ambitions for what they could build together.

Seventeen years later, a lot has changed. The team has grown. The clients have grown. The miles traveled, markets entered, deals completed, and relationships built would have been hard to imagine back then.

But so much of what made TRS special from the beginning is still here: a genuine love for this industry, an unwavering commitment to our clients, a willingness to work hard and figure things out, and a team of people who truly care about doing great work together.

We couldn’t celebrate 17 years without pulling a few candid photos from the archives. 😉

Here’s to Lauren and Greg for dreaming big in 2009, to every person who has helped build TRS along the way, and to 17 years of putting a whole lot of Extra in Ordinary.

Happy anniversary, TRS! 🥂

23/09/2026

The headlines are worth paying attention to: store openings are outpacing closures in 2026.

According to recent data shared by ICSC, major U.S. retailers had announced 3,389 store openings through late August, compared with 3,262 closures — a notable reversal from this time last year.

Retailers across restaurant, grocery, convenience, specialty retail and service categories are announcing ambitious growth plans, while new retail development continues to come online in markets across the country.

For those of us working in retail real estate every day, the story behind the numbers validates that physical retail continues to matter.

Great brands are investing in stores, but they’re also being increasingly thoughtful about where they grow. With quality retail space in many markets constrained, understanding the customer, identifying the right trade areas and moving decisively when the right real estate becomes available are more important than ever.

Great read from ICSC on the latest numbers and expansion activity across the industry!

https://www.icsc.com/news-and-views/icsc-exchange/store-openings-start-to-outpace-closures-chains-plan-2000-new-stores-725k-sf-of-retail-coming-to-market-and-more

Store openings are outpacing closures in 2026 as Qdoba, Golden Chick, Toys R Us and other brands expand, while 725,000 square feet of retail development moves forward near Nashville and Salt Lake City.

21/09/2026

Choosing where to open a retail location is one of the most consequential decisions a growing brand can make.

The right site can drive sales, strengthen brand visibility, and create a foundation for future growth. The wrong one can leave a retailer locked into an expensive lease in a location that simply doesn’t perform.

So what actually goes into making the right decision?

In our latest guide, we break down the retail site selection process, from defining the ideal customer and identifying target trade areas to analyzing location intelligence, evaluating site economics, and ultimately negotiating the real estate.

At The Retail Strategy, we like to say that site selection is both an art and a science. Data matters, market knowledge matters, and understanding how those pieces fit within a brand’s broader growth strategy matters even more.

Whether you’re opening your first few stores, expanding into new markets, or building a repeatable site selection process for a growing franchise system, this guide is a great place to start.

Read The Complete Guide to Retail Site Selection:
https://theretailstrategy.com/retail-site-selection-guide/

Retail site selection decides where your brand thrives or stalls. Learn the full process — from growth strategy to trade area analysis to lease negotiation. (154)