Retail Strategies

What Retail Strategies does

Retail Strategies is a private U.S. municipal consulting firm that recruits national retail and restaurant tenants to cities, counties, and economic development organizations. The firm operates as an extension of city hall, combining retailer-grade market data, licensed real estate expertise, and established relationships with retailers, brokers, developers, and franchisees to identify target tenants, pitch communities, and shepherd deals through an 18-36 month cycle. Core services include Retail Recruitment, Retail Academy (a training program for community leaders), Downtown Strategies (downtown revitalization consulting), and Small Business Support.

The company's technology stack is built around proprietary market analytics, including Retail Leakage/GAP Analyses, customized trade area studies, and the annual Sales Tax 150 Report covering 150 national retailers and restaurants with unit volumes, jobs per location, and projected sales tax revenue. Retail Strategies is a division of Thercos (the r cos), a diversified group that also includes Retail Specialists and RAM Development. The firm maintains five offices across Birmingham (HQ), Atlanta, Fort Worth, Starkville, and Auburn, and serves communities in at least 27 states.

Revenue is generated through professional services engagements with municipalities and economic development organizations, typically structured as multi-year contracts with quote-based pricing. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, anchored on direct engagement with mayors, city managers, and economic development directors, supplemented by major industry event participation (400+ meetings at ICSC Las Vegas 2026), content marketing (webinars, podcasts, case studies), and USDA grant-funded Rural Retail Academy deployments. The firm is privately held with no disclosed external funding.

Name

Retail Strategies

Legal name

Retail Strategies

Website

https://retailstrategies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Retail Strategies is a U.S. municipal consulting firm that recruits national retailers and restaurants to cities and economic development organizations, combining market analytics, real estate expertise, and retailer relationships to drive tax-base growth and downtown revitalization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Economic Development Consulting

akta.pro primary industry

Retail Brokerage (BPAJABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Shopper & Retail Insights (In-Store/Path-to-Purchase, Category Insights) (MPAAALAJ), Trade Marketing Strategy & Execution (MPAAAJAB)

Keywords

• Retail recruitment consulting
• Economic development services
• Downtown revitalization consulting
• Municipal consulting services
• Retail market analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Municipal Consulting Services: Retail Strategies provides retail recruitment and economic development consulting services to municipalities, counties, and economic development organizations through multi-year contract partnerships. Services include market analysis, retailer outreach, site selection support, and community retail strategy development.
2. Retail Academy Training Program: Comprehensive retail recruitment and business development training program for community leaders, providing market analysis frameworks, site selection education, and practical recruitment strategies.
3. Downtown Strategies Services: Downtown revitalization consulting including strategic planning, business recruitment for downtown districts, and support for vacant property activation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Retail Strategies acts as an extension of city hall and economic development teams, combining retailer-grade market data, licensed real estate expertise, and national retailer relationships to recruit businesses that fit communities and grow their tax base. Services span retail recruitment, downtown revitalization strategy, small business support, and a training program (Retail Academy), with consulting engagements structured as multi-year partnerships with municipalities, counties, and economic development organizations.

Product overview

Retail Strategies is a national retail recruitment and economic development consulting firm that offers a suite of services including Retail Recruitment (core service), Retail Academy (training program), Downtown Strategies (downtown revitalization division), and Small Business Support. The company provides data-driven tools including Retail Leakage Reports and the Sales Tax 150 annual report. Downtown Strategies, the company's division focused on placemaking, offers resources like the Downtown Retail Recruitment Checklist and webinars on topics including AI for communities, rural downtown revitalization, and experiential retail recruitment. The company operates as a unified team drawing on real estate and community development expertise to position communities as attractive locations for national retailers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Retail Academy: A comprehensive retail recruitment and business development training program that equips community leaders with tools, data, and strategies to attract and retain retail businesses
• Downtown Strategies
• Small Business Support

Products and services

• Retail Recruitment
• Retail Academy
• Downtown Strategies
• Small Business Support
• Sales Tax for 150 Retailers and Restaurants Report
• Retail Leakage Report (Gap Analysis) Analysis that identifies which category of retailer a community needs and where community dollars are escaping, helping communities understand retail gaps and prioritize recruitment targets. Requested as a free GAP Analysis via the company website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200+ new jobs created in Albemarle, NC partnership
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• The R Cos (Parent Company)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRetail Strategies is a division of 'The R Cos' (also known as thercos.com), a family of companies including Retail Strategies, Retail Specialists, and RAM Development that collectively provides real estate expertise, community development tools, and human effort to position communities as attractive locations for national businesses.
• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSDA provides grant funding to support Retail Academy training programs in rural communities, including Middle Michigan Development Corporation's award to bring Retail Academy to three-county region and Village of Lena's downtown revitalization plan funding.
• North Country Rural Development Coalition (NCRDC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCRDC selected Downtown Strategies (division of Retail Strategies) through competitive RFP to provide downtown business attraction and tenant recruitment services for Town of Ticonderoga, New York, building on Downtown Revitalization Initiative investments.
• CMK PropertiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMK Properties provided private capital and development expertise for the Warrensburg, Missouri Tractor Supply project, working with Retail Strategies and the City of Warrensburg to bring the 24,000 sq ft store to the community.
• City of Warrensburg, MissourimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Warrensburg partnered with CMK Properties and Retail Strategies to recruit Tractor Supply, providing streamlined permitting and a tax increment financing structure that reimbursed developer for infrastructure improvements.
• Tractor Supply CompanymajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTractor Supply partnered with the City of Warrensburg, CMK Properties, and Retail Strategies to open a 24,000 sq ft store serving a 55,000 person regional demand base with projected $111,000+ annual sales tax revenue.
• TEDCORcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEDCOR partnered with Village of Lena, Wisconsin and Downtown Strategies to develop a 5-year Strategic Action Plan for Downtown Lena, funded through a USDA grant.
• Essex County Land BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDowntown Strategies will support the Essex County Land Bank's priority to redevelop vacant and blighted downtown properties throughout Essex County as part of the Ticonderoga engagement.
• ElectricitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic development organization for nineteen electric cooperatives in South Carolina; coordinates ICSC Carolinas events where Retail Strategies team can tag-team meetings with client communities.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Site Selection Group: Consulting firm that advises municipalities, economic development organizations, and corporate clients on site selection, incentives, and retail attraction. Directly comparable in target market (cities and EDOs), service mix, and site/brokerage expertise.
• Buxton: Fort Worth-based customer analytics and site selection firm that serves both retailers and communities with retail intelligence, trade area analysis, and recruitment support. Directly comparable to Retail Strategies on retail/site analytics, community-client base, and retailer-relationship services.

Emerging players

• Planalytics: Provides weather-driven demand analytics and trade-area intelligence to retailers and communities. Comparable on the analytics/trade-area insight layer that Retail Strategies leverages, but a focused data product rather than full-service municipal consulting.

Others

• Chain Store Guide: Retail intelligence data provider publishing directories and datasets on chains, executives, and store-level economics. Adjacent to Retail Strategies' Sales Tax 150 and retailer-profiling work as an enabling data supplier and ecosystem participant.
• Main Street America: National nonprofit supporting downtown revitalization through Main Street programs across thousands of communities. A close analog to Retail Strategies' Downtown Strategies division in mission and practitioner community, but operates as a nonprofit membership/credentialing organization rather than a paid consultant.

Broad incumbents

• Cushman & Wakefield: Global commercial real estate services firm with site selection and incentives advisory capabilities serving municipal and corporate clients. Comparable in retail brokerage and trade-area analytics capabilities, but as part of a much broader CRE platform rather than a retail-recruitment specialist.
• CBRE: Global commercial real estate services firm whose Location Advisory and Economic Development practice advises public-sector clients on corporate and retail attraction. Overlapping service line within a much broader CRE platform, with retail-brokerage and incentives expertise comparable to Retail Strategies.
• Development Counselors International (DCI): Place-based economic development marketing agency helping cities, regions, and countries attract investment and corporate site selectors. Comparable target market (municipalities and EDOs) and economic-development positioning, but broader scope (corporate attraction, FDI, tourism) rather than retail-specialized.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/retailadviser
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@retailstrategies
• Facebookfacebook.com/retailstrategiesLLC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/retail-strategies
• Instagraminstagram.com/retailstrategies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Retail Strategies