Retail Strategies outlines multi‑year retail recruitment plan for South Fulton, cites grocery shortfall and data tools

Mel Graves, portfolio director for Retail Strategies, told the City of South Fulton council on Sept. 17 that his firm's year‑two work will concentrate on national and regional grocery and restaurant prospects, corridor‑level site assessments and new technology to produce custom trade areas and mobile data analyses. "We identified about 60 prospects that we want to go after," Graves said, adding that grocery and food‑and‑beverage uses were prioritized after community feedback and the market analysis.

The nut graf: Retail recruitment is a long timeline and a team sport, Graves said — site selection often spans 18–36 months for typical retail users and 3–5 years for grocers — and the city must coordinate zoning, permitting, property owners and developers early in projects to keep prospects engaged.

Graves described Retail Strategies’ role…