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Consultants outline retail recruitment work, say progress is slow but steady
Summary
Retail Strategies representatives updated the Carl Junction Board of Aldermen on retail recruitment efforts, citing gap analyses, trade-area marketing, outreach to grocers and fast-casual chains, and work on a 30-acre site and a high-school–adjacent parcel; consultants described the effort as a long-term process.
Cam South and Steven Dindy of Retail Strategies presented an update to the Carl Junction Board of Aldermen on the city’s retail-recruitment contract, describing their approach to market analysis, site cataloging, and outreach to national and regional retailers.
South said the firm uses data (gap analyses, mobile/geofence-derived consumer patterns and trade-area studies) and “boots on the ground” site tours to prepare custom marketing material for brokers and potential tenants. “We’re currently partnering with the city for retail recruitment,” South said, noting the firm’s national network and trade-show work. He described the process as slow: “I always say this is a marathon, not a sprint.”
South and Dindy listed target categories they are pursuing for Carl Junction: fast-casual restaurants, quick-service concepts, clothing/apparel, convenience stores, hobby/craft retailers, auto-parts, and some home-and-garden concepts. They said grocery chains are harder to recruit at present because grocer deals require financing and scale; the consultants said they have pursued regional and national grocers and identified some franchisee interest for QSR concepts.
The consultants highlighted two property prospects under active marketing: a roughly 30-acre tract (city-involved) and a parcel near the high school that has drawn developer interest for residential growth. They also said travel-center concepts near Highway 171 have been discussed but would require higher traffic volumes and different site characteristics. South invited council members to follow up after the meeting for unredacted reports and site-level data.
Council members asked procedural questions about timing and outreach; no formal vote or formal action was taken on the presentation. The city identified the topic as part of its economic development reports for the evening and encouraged ongoing engagement with Retail Strategies.
