By: Ray Uttenhove for The Atlanta Business Chronicle's Real Talk Blog
AJ Wright, a division of the TJX Companies, opened two new stores in the Atlanta market last week.
One is on Buford Highway outside of 285 in Doraville next to the always busy Buford Highway Farmers’ Market. The second is in Tucker at Cofer Crossing, a center anchored with Wal-Mart and Kroger.
The chain’s entry and penetration of the market has happened fast. In just over a year, they have opened nine stores in Atlanta.
With a merchandise selection that provides branded apparel at deep discounts, AJ Wright is a good retailer for customers looking for value, particularly in challenging economic times.
By: Ray Uttenhove for The Atlanta Business Chronicle's Real Talk Blog
Integrating Retail with Residential & Office: Some Guidelines—Part one
Clearly the lifestyle that comes with live/work/play environments is desirable. City planners love the idea. Developers want to provide amenities for their tenants and owners, and residents and workers love convenient services and shopping. But there are some fundamental rules and guidelines for the retail in mixed use projects. To ignore these guidelines, particularly in suburban markets, can lead to empty stores and problems for the entire development.
First, the project is more than likely not large enough to serve the customer base in the retail portion of the development. The scale of the retail must relate to the scale of the overall project and the surrounding trade area. So it is important to understand the competing projects in the area and the demographics of the overall market.
Pre-leasing and a realistic merchandising plan is critical to the success of the retail. To build shops and hope that retailers will show up to lease space rarely works.
There are some great mixed use projects in Atlanta. Over the next few weeks I will look at some of the best and most successful.