When Monarch Alternative Capital acquired Shopko Optical in May 2019, it became critical for the real estate team to have a powerful, easy-to-use site selection and analysis platform that would help the company continue to grow after opening 80 standalone locations.

“We needed an analytics tool to help us with mapping, evaluating real estate, and assessing trade areas,” says Donna Capichano, chief development officer at Shopko Optical. “The tool we were using previously was expensive and produced inaccurate results. It was time for something better.”

Topics: Smart Retail Growth, Real Estate Analytics Tool, Improving Store Locations, Site Selection Software, Case Study

At the end of March 2020, the world of retail was struggling in ways it has never struggled before.

Topics: Smart Retail Growth, Omnichannel Retail, Bricks and Mortar Retail, Retail Industry, Coronavirus, Grocery

Two months into our global shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic and one thing is pretty clear: there are some businesses that are inherently built to withstand a crisis like this one. One such industry: grocery.

Topics: Smart Retail Growth, Market Research, Capital Planning, Retail Industry, Coronavirus, Grocery

Our business is helping companies turn data into insights.  And we can’t help but wonder: what does the data show when it comes to where coronavirus is most prevalent?

Topics: Smart Retail Growth, Data Study, Retail Site Selection, Data Quality, Coronavirus

There are times that it makes good sense for a chain business to expand, and there are times it makes sense for that chain business to expand in a different way than they have in the past (to better reach customers).

Topics: Retail Data Analysis, Smart Retail Growth, Retail Industry, Customer Analysis

There are two scary words that nobody in the retail industry likes to hear: retail apocalypse.

Topics: Smart Retail Growth, Retail Apocalypse, Data Study, Bricks and Mortar Retail, Retail Industry, Retail Site Selection

We’ve talked before on this blog about the general impression that brick-and-mortar retail is dying a slow death and why that simply isn’t true.

Topics: Smart Retail Growth, Retail Apocalypse, Omnichannel Retail, Bricks and Mortar Retail, Retail Industry

Last month on the blog, we talked about capital planning that focuses on improving the stores and locations already in your portfolio to ensure they each fulfill their potential. If your capital plans include opening new stores as well, you want to ensure you are making decisions that maximize your returns.

Topics: Smart Retail Growth, Capital Planning, Building New Locations, Retail Industry, Market Potential

Many businesses trying to grow the smart way recognize that capital planning involves an analysis of both short- and long-term needs and goals before they decide where their dollars are best spent. Regardless of how you plan your budget, your goal, of course, is to boost revenue. The question is: what capital expenditures are most likely to make that happen?

Topics: Smart Retail Growth, Capital Planning, Improving Store Locations, Retail Industry

If your town is large enough to have an economic development council, that council is probably tasked with analyzing your market in order to attract businesses and retailers to the community. To do this effectively, one of the very first steps you should take is to define your town’s trade area.

Topics: Smart Retail Growth, Retail Trade Area, Retail Industry, Market Potential