The Life Of A Retail Broker Is Never Going To Be The Same Again

With a crumpled neighborhood map in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, a retail broker in the early aughts could woo tenants to a property without much fanfare.

“We used to drive around in the car with a paper map with dots on it that showed our existing stores, competition and the major anchors in the market,” JLL Managing Director of Retail Real Estate Rob Franks recalls.

For Franks and other retail brokers, those simple days are long gone, replaced by a new technology-centered era. Tenant expectations have shifted, brokers have to have more specific data while also knowing a broader range of information, there are fewer appealing new-build spaces to offer clients, and the retail industry is being fundamentally reinvented...

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RSK: Even credit worthy stores and retail chains are reluctant to sign long term leases. Enter technology to move it forward.