The Econic Company

What The Econic Company does

The Econic Company is a privately held, bespoke commercial real estate brokerage specializing in retail leasing across Northern California. Founded in March 2021 by James Chung, a 20-year retail real estate veteran previously serving as Executive Managing Director and Head of Retail for Western United States at Cushman & Wakefield, the firm represents both landlords and tenants in retail lease transactions. The company operates three offices in Campbell (headquarters), Stockton (Central Valley), and Walnut Creek (East Bay), with a team of 16 professionals, and represents more than 40 million square feet of retail agency work alongside 200+ active tenant relationships. Its client base spans institutional landlords such as Federal Realty, Hunter Properties, Kimco, Black Rock, CIM, and Jamestown, and national/regional retail tenants including Costco, Ulta Beauty, Shake Shack, Starbucks, adidas, and Darden, among others.

The firm generates revenue through commissions on retail lease transactions, with no proprietary technology platform disclosed. Its go-to-market is sales-led, relying on direct field brokerage relationships rather than digital marketplaces or self-service channels. Marketing is conducted primarily through industry events (ICSC, ULI panels), earned media (Silicon Valley Business Journal, San Jose Mercury News), and thought leadership content (podcasts, Viewpoint educational programming). Through its affiliation with X Team Retail Advisors, the firm extends its national reach to 44 markets across the U.S. and Canada, enabling multi-market tenant representation.

The company's most prominent deal to date is the leasing of Cityline Sunnyvale, a redevelopment of the former Sunnyvale Town Center mall, where Founder James Chung and Executive Director Nicole Lyon secured more than 20 leases with major retailers. This work earned the firm recognition as the first Silicon Valley Broker of the Year at the Bay Area Real Estate Deals of the Year Awards in March 2026. The Econic Company is wholly founder-owned, with no external institutional investment or PE/VC backing identified.

Name

The Econic Company

Legal name

The Econic Company

Website

https://theeconiccompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Econic Company is a privately held retail-focused commercial real estate brokerage in Northern California. Founded in 2021 by James Chung, the firm represents landlords and tenants across 40+ million square feet of retail space, serving institutional property owners and national retail brands throughout the Bay Area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Brokerage

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail Brokerage (BPAJABAB)

Keywords

• Retail brokerage
• Tenant representation
• Landlord representation
• Commercial real estate
• Lease negotiation

Headquarters

HQ city

Campbell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commission-based Brokerage: Revenue generated through commissions on retail lease transactions. Acts as intermediary between landlords seeking tenants and tenants seeking retail space. Fees likely based on transaction value.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Econic Company is a bespoke retail-focused commercial real estate brokerage that represents landlords and tenants in retail lease transactions across Northern California, with a client base extending nationally. Its brokers help property owners fill retail vacancies with quality tenants and assist retailers in site selection, lease negotiation, and market entry strategy across the Bay Area's nine counties. The firm operates as a service-based business, intermediating retail lease deals to generate commission revenue.

Product overview

The Econic Company is a bespoke retail-focused commercial real estate brokerage firm specializing in landlord and tenant representation services throughout Northern California. The company operates as a service-based business rather than a software product platform, offering core brokerage services including retail property leasing, tenant representation, landlord representation, and commercial real estate advisory. The firm manages a portfolio of listings across retail, office, land, and restaurant property types and has facilitated deals for national and regional tenants across the Bay Area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tenant Representation Brokerage service that represents retail tenants and brands in identifying, evaluating, and securing retail locations. Includes site selection, market entry strategy, lease negotiation, and ongoing location strategy support across Northern California. Client base includes national brands such as adidas, Starbucks, 24 Hour Fitness, Hmart, Darden, and Inspire Brands.
• Landlord Representation Brokerage service that represents property owners, REITs, developers, and institutional investors in leasing retail space to quality tenants. Includes tenant sourcing, lease negotiation, and repositioning of underperforming retail centers. Client base includes Federal Realty, Hunter Properties, Kimco, Black Rock, CIM, and Jamestown. The firm represents more than 19 million square feet of retail space across the nine Bay Area counties.
• X Team Retail Advisors Affiliation Bay Area affiliate membership in X Team Retail Advisors, a national network of 350+ retail real estate affiliate specialists across 44 markets in the U.S. and Canada. Provides clients with multi-market retail real estate representation capability through coordinated affiliate brokers beyond Northern California.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transformed troubled Sunnyvale Town Center mall into thriving Cityline Sunnyvale with 20+ leases including major retailers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• X Team Retail AdvisorsflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerNational organization of 350+ retail real estate affiliate specialists in 44 markets across U.S. and Canada. The Econic Company joined as Bay Area affiliate, expanding national reach for clients seeking multi-market representation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Retail Connection: Boutique retail-focused commercial real estate brokerage serving landlords and tenants with site selection and lease negotiation. Closely comparable to Econic's bespoke retail brokerage model with national tenant relationships.
• Mid-America Real Estate Group: Retail-only commercial real estate brokerage with landlord representation, tenant representation, and investment sales. Comparable to Econic in retail specialization and transaction-based revenue model.
• SRS Real Estate Partners: National retail-focused commercial real estate brokerage with landlord and tenant representation services across the U.S. Directly comparable to Econic in retail-only specialization and transaction-based model, though at significantly larger scale.
• Lee & Associates: Privately held commercial real estate brokerage firm with a strong retail practice across the western U.S. Comparable to Econic in size, structure, and retail-brokerage focus, though with broader geographic reach.

Others

• Phillips Edison & Company: REIT and owner/operator of grocery-anchored shopping centers. While not a brokerage, it is a potential landlord-client counterpart and ecosystem participant that competes for retail real estate talent and mandates Econic's landlord representation business targets.

Broad incumbents

• Newmark Group: Global commercial real estate services firm with a substantial retail practice. Several Econic hires came from Newmark; competes for the same enterprise retail tenant mandates at greater scale and with broader service offerings.
• Colliers: Global CRE services firm with retail brokerage capabilities. Competes for retail tenant and landlord representation, with broader service offerings than Econic but less retail specialization.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global CRE services firm where founder James Chung previously spent 18 years and served as Head of Retail for Western U.S. Competes directly for retail landlord and tenant mandates and is the talent source for several Econic hires.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global commercial real estate services firm with a dedicated retail practice offering brokerage, capital markets, and advisory. Competes for large enterprise retail mandates and offers technology-enabled site selection that Econic lacks.
• CBRE Group: Largest global commercial real estate services firm with a substantial retail brokerage practice. Competes for landlord and tenant representation mandates across asset classes, with deep institutional client relationships and proprietary research.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theeconiccre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-econic-company
• Instagraminstagram.com/econiccre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 The Econic Company