EDENS

What EDENS does

EDENS is a privately held, U.S.-domiciled retail real estate investment, development, and management company headquartered in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1966 by Joe Edens Jr. in Columbia, South Carolina, the company owns, develops, and stewards a coast-to-coast portfolio of more than 100 open-air retail and mixed-use properties across 60+ cities in regions spanning the Northeast, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Southwest, and West (including the Pacific Region launched in 2022). The company emphasizes placemaking over pure real estate transactions, designing destinations that target 3.5 visits per week and 5 hours of dwell time, reaching an estimated 15 million people daily. Operations are carbon-neutral in common areas since 2015, and the company tracks impact through a published Sustainability Scorecard, 157 EV charging stations across 21 properties, and solar/LED retrofits at multiple assets.

The core product is a curated retail and mixed-use real estate portfolio serving national retail brands (Whole Foods, Publix, AMC, Marshalls, Design Within Reach) and local/independent tenants. EDENS generates revenue through three principal streams: long-term retail and mixed-use property leasing (its primary economic engine), one-time property development and redevelopment fees (e.g., Lulah Hills, a 78-acre mixed-use project with 1,700 multifamily units, 100 townhomes, and 320,000 SF of retail opening 2027), and transaction-fee event venue rentals at curated spaces such as Union Market District in Washington, D.C. and RiNo in Denver. Ancillary digital services include a retailer portal for rent payment, sales reporting, and tenant information management.

Go-to-market is enterprise field sales executed through a six-region headquarters network (Washington, Boston, Dallas, Columbia, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale) plus three satellite offices (Charlotte, Houston, Denver), supported by property-specific websites, digital brochures, and on-site leasing agents. Strategic capital partners include AvalonBay Communities and Crescent Communities for mixed-use residential components, Urban Alliance for workforce development, and the James Beard Foundation for food-and-beverage tenant programming. Leadership is held by CEO Jodie W. McLean (promoted 2015, after prior CIO and President roles), CFO Mark Garside, CIO Jami Passer, and CDO William C. Caldwell. EDENS remains privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, public ticker, or external PE/VC ownership.

Name

EDENS

Legal name

EDENS

Website

https://edens.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

EDENS is a privately held retail real estate investment, development, and management company owning and operating 100+ open-air retail and mixed-use properties across 60+ U.S. cities, leasing space to national brands and local retailers with a focus on community-focused placemaking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Real Estate

NAICS

Lessors of Real Estate (5311), Rental and Leasing Services (532)

SIC

Real Estate (6500)

akta.pro primary industry

Property Management Advisory & Leasing Administration (FSAEAJAN)

Keywords

• Retail real estate
• Open-air shopping centers
• Mixed-use development
• Commercial property leasing
• Placemaking services

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Property Leasing: EDENS generates revenue primarily through leasing retail and mixed-use space to national brands and local retailers across its portfolio of 100+ properties. The company owns, develops, and manages open-air retail centers and mixed-use destinations.
2. Property Development and Redevelopment: Revenue from developing new retail properties and redeveloping existing assets, including mixed-use projects with residential components.
3. Event Venue Rental: EDENS generates revenue from renting event spaces at Union Market District and RiNo locations, including venues like Dock5, AutoShop, The Rooftop, The Alley, and Lot on Larimer.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

EDENS owns, develops, and stewards a coast-to-coast portfolio of more than 100 open-air retail and mixed-use places in high-growth U.S. markets, leasing space to national retail brands and local retailers. The company supplements leasing revenue with event venue rentals at Union Market District (Dock5, AutoShop, The Rooftop, Balcón, Galería, Estudio) and RiNo (The Alley, Lot on Larimer, The Loft), and provides retailers with a tenant management portal and community programming.

Product overview

EDENS is a retail real estate company that owns, develops, and stewards a portfolio of more than 100 open-air retail and mixed-use properties nationwide. The company's primary offerings include retail and mixed-use properties (core product), event venues (Dock5, AutoShop, Rooftop, Balcón, Galería, Estudio in DC; The Alley, Lot on Larimer, The Loft in Denver), a retailer portal for tenant management, and sustainability services. Notable sub-brands include La Cosecha (Latin American culinary marketplace) within Union Market District and Lulah Hills (major mixed-use development in Atlanta). EDENS also offers placemaking services, community engagement programs, and event programming as part of its community enrichment mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retail & Mixed-Use Properties Portfolio EDENS owns, develops, and stewards a nationally leading portfolio of more than 100 open-air retail and mixed-use places in high-growth markets coast to coast, leased to national retail brands and local retailers. Properties include shopping centers, mixed-use developments, and event venues serving residential and commercial communities.
• Event Venues
• Retailer Portal Online portal for retail partners to access rent payment, sales reporting, and tenant information management via DocuSign integration.
• Lulah Hills

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.5 trips per week and 5 hours of dwell time at EDENS properties
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• James Beard FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDENS CEO Jodie W. McLean helped launch the James Beard Foundation's Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership (WEL) program, an 11-week virtual program for owners of brick-and-mortar food and beverage businesses. EDENS has raised financial support for WEL through its annual Sunday Supper event at Union Market District for 8 years.
• AvalonBay CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with AvalonBay Communities to develop apartments and townhomes at Princeton Shopping Center, EDENS' oldest property acquired in 2012. This mixed-use development adds residential components to the retail property.
• Crescent CommunitiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Crescent Communities to bring NOVEL Lulah Hills, a 6-story, 303-unit apartment community to the Lulah Hills mixed-use development. The residential component adds to the sense of community at the 78-acre site.
• Urban AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDENS has partnered with Urban Alliance for more than 25 years to build a diverse next-generation workforce through internship programs connecting students with career opportunities in retail real estate.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Macerich Company: Macerich owns and operates retail real estate in major US markets, focused on urban and suburban shopping destinations. Comparable to EDENS in retail real estate ownership and mixed-use repositioning strategy.
• Simon Property Group: Simon is the largest US retail REIT, operating malls, premium outlets, and mixed-use destinations. While predominantly mall-focused, Simon's mixed-use and community center exposure overlaps EDENS' broader retail real estate footprint.
• Brookfield Property Partners: Brookfield Properties is a major owner/operator of retail, office, and mixed-use real estate in major US markets. As a broad incumbent in retail real estate, it competes for institutional capital, JV partners, and premier retail tenants alongside EDENS.

Regional players

• RPT Realty: RPT Realty owns open-air shopping centers primarily in select US markets with a grocery-anchored community-center focus. Comparable asset class to EDENS, though at smaller scale and concentrated footprint.

Direct peers

• Regency Centers Corporation: Regency Centers owns and operates grocery-anchored open-air shopping centers across high-growth US markets, the closest direct comparable to EDENS' 100+ open-air retail portfolio. Both target necessity-based and curated retail mixes in coastal/suburban trade areas.
• Federal Realty Investment Trust: Federal Realty owns open-air and mixed-use retail destinations in affluent coastal markets with a focus on placemaking and curated tenant mixes. EDENS' placemaking-centric model and mixed-use developments directly parallel Federal Realty's strategy.
• Brixmor Property Group: Brixmor owns and operates a national portfolio of open-air shopping centers with a focus on grocery-anchored community centers. Closely comparable to EDENS in asset type, tenant profile, and US geographic footprint.
• Phillips Edison & Company: Phillips Edison owns necessity-anchored open-air shopping centers concentrated in top US markets, with a community/neighborhood retail focus similar to EDENS' curated retail strategy.
• Kimco Realty: Kimco Realty is one of the largest owners of open-air shopping centers in the US, with a similarly diversified grocery-anchored portfolio. Comparable to EDENS in core asset class (open-air retail) and tenant strategy.
• Kite Realty Group: Kite Realty owns and operates open-air shopping centers in select high-growth US markets with a curated, mixed-use approach. Comparable to EDENS' footprint in Sun Belt and coastal markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WEareEDENS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/weareEDENS
• Facebookfacebook.com/WEareEDENS
• Instagraminstagram.com/weareedens

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EDENS