Success Stories In Retail Recruitment

Tri-Cities area in Washington
creates first-class shopping area.

The Tri-Cities’ Position

Although a community might have a good retail situation, there is always room for improvement. The Tri-Cities area in Washington State, made up of Kennewick, Richland and Pasco were feeling the pressure from City Council members and citizens on specific types of retailers that were not located within the Tri-Cities area.

The Tri-Cities area sits two hours from Spokane, the closest major metropolitan area, and almost four hours from Seattle or Portland. The Tri-Cities together have a population of 153,610 according to the 2006 census.

The Tri-Cities economic development team had tried their hand at retail recruitment before, but had a tough time convincing retailers and developers that their market area was large enough, and that the area was ready for more upscale retail.

Buxton Becomes Involved

The three city managers from Kennewick, Richland and Pasco initially spoke with Buxton at the National League of Cities trade show in 2005. In addition to the comprehensive consumer data from hundreds of data sources, the managers were impressed with Buxton's retail experience so that the data, methodologies and analysis incorporated the retailer's perspective. The cities collectively commissioned Buxton to aid with their retail economic development effort.

Buxton conducted an analysis of the Columbia Center in Kennewick, discovering a large potential for retail. They delivered a list of retailers that would be successful in this area to the Tri-Cities. They also provided retail trade potential reports that helped Tri-Cities position themselves as an opportunity for retail growth. Armed with marketing packages for the specific retailers on their match report, the Tri-Cities attended the International Council of Shopping Centers Annual Conference and had success. the marketing packets, they were able to speak the retailers' language and place importance on psychographic information, which really resonated with the retailers.

Investment in Retail Growth

After concentrated efforts at recruitment - making contact with retailers, sending the marketing packages and following up - the hard work paid off. The Tri-Cities area has successfully recruited Ann Taylor Loft, Vitamin Shoppe, PF Chang’s, PetCo, Chico’s, Auto Zone, Talbots and Kohl’s Department Store to name a few.

The area has also seen an added vibrancy to its economy due to the study. Tourism is at an all-time high, hotels are being built and the rooms are staying full. The Columbia Center has blossomed.

The addition of upscale shops and eateries has improved the quality of life for people in the Tri-Cities area. Instead of traveling to shop, retail is at their finger tips. Restaurants like Olive Garden and Famous Dave’s have come to town and make it easy for a quick dinner.

“Using CommunityID, we were able to satisfy our citizens’ wishes, greatly enhancing the quality of life without raising property taxes,” said Ken Nelson, City Manager of Kennewick, “It has been a win-win for the entire Tri-Cities area.”

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