Success Stories In Retail Recruitment



South Bend Secures New Retailers For Booming New Spaces And Infill Sites
South Bend, Ind., is facing an outstanding retail future. In 2006, both South Bend and adjacent Mishawaka experienced the development of more than 1 million square feet of commercial retail space. And, both cities have another half-million square feet in development this year.

This growth leaves South Bend with a lot of new space to fill. It also leaves the city with a lot of infill square footage, since many retailers are moving from existing sites to the newer developments.

So why did South Bend city leaders contract Buxton to assess consumers in their trade areas? "The reason we contracted with Buxton was to gain new retail contacts, to add new faces to the mix and to continue to support the growth numbers," says Bill Schalliol, economic development planner, City of South Bend.

The South Bend-Mishawaka market is the second largest retail area in Indiana, second only to Indianapolis. "We serve as buffer between Chicago and Toledo," Schalliol says. "Our retail area serves customers who live as far as 75 miles in each direction from us."

City leaders are taking a proactive approach to finding retailers for the existing areas left vacant by retailers moving into newer spaces. They are working with developers and landlords to find tenants for this retail space. "We are trying to get that information to the people who have the vacant spaces," Schalliol says. "We see this as a ‘win-win’ for everyone."

The results have been encouraging. Less than a year after Buxton provided a list of 20 promising retailers, South Bend has secured four retail locations from the list as well as other retailers not on the list.

"South Bend, while the bigger city in the county, has much less retail space developed and is usually the second location within the market. Landing the area's first Texas Roadhouse, DSW Shoe Warehouse and some other stores as first locations into the market has helped to bring South Bend a bit more on par with Mishawaka," explains Schalliol.

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