Success Stories In Retail Recruitment



Rural Development - Andalusia, AL

Andalusia’s Challenge
Six of ten rural communities are lagging behind in job and population growth. Many of these communities have been heavily dependent on agriculture, mining and manufacturing, industries that have undergone job declines and consolidation. These structural changes have caused many rural communities to think differently about their economic development strategies.

By the year 2000, Covington County Ala., had lost 10,000 workers and almost 10 percent of its population due to the decline of the area’s textile industry. Community economic development leaders went to work to bring in high-paying jobs and to diversify the economy. Andalusia, the county’s commercial center, needed to expand its retail base to support the growth of new business to the area.

They succeeded with the recruitment of businesses representing several industries, including aviation and automobile. Many of the people who moved to the community to fill the new jobs came from urban areas, where they were used to a variety of shopping and dining choices.

The choices in the Andalusia area were limited. A bright spot on the horizon was the recent recruitment of a Wal-Mart Super Center, scheduled to open October 2006.

Buxton’s Solution
"Recruiting retail is very different than recruiting other industrial sectors," says Richard "Tucson" Roberts, President and CEO, Covington County Economic Development Commission. The countywide organization engaged Buxton to perform its SmallCityID^SM analysis. Buxton provided Covington County with the information it needed about trade areas in Andalusia. Buxton also provided a list of potential retail matches and contact information for the retailers.

The Results
As a result of Andalusia’s retail efforts, the city has recruited more than a dozen retailers and restaurants, including Goody’s, Hibbett Sports, Barrow Furniture, Domino's Pizza, Chin's Garden, Curves Ladies Fitness, Flower Basket, Lulu's Children's Clothing, Perfect Persimmon Ladies Formal Wear, Enterprise Rent-A -Car, and Larry's Barbeque. In addition, the Covington County Economic Development Commission is working with seven other retailers on the Buxton list and is looking forward to launching retail development efforts, using Buxton data, in two other towns within the county.

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