“Want retail in your suburban village? It takes an incentive”

by Catie Burkes, July 19, 2019 [link]

Mike Cotton, finance director for the City of Walker, hired Retail Strategies, a national firm that partners with cities across the country to grow retail opportunities. Fourteen months into the three-year, $120,000 contract, the company is trying to bring Walker another grocery store and a sit-down, family-style restaurant à la Chili’s or Applebee’s.

The need for such is only getting larger, he says, referencing a study the company performed last year showing a wide gap between Walker’s population and retail footprint, indicating the city is missing out on a potentially significant revenue stream.

People are seeing they can stay home and shop local, and that it’s a lot safer.

Kayla Johnson

“And the centers are seeing the sales happening.”

The rest of the parish is poised for more restaurants and shops, too, she says.

Retail Strategies is thrilled to partnered with the City of Walker, LA. Working with a city who is proactively recruiting retail increases the quality of life in a community while raising tax revenue and providing jobs.

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