The retail recruiter the city of Jackson hired to find businesses for East County Line Road focuses most of its attention on two shopping centers.
County Line Plaza and Ridgewood Court are large centers along East County Line Road that are near I-55 North, and that’s why the emphasis is on finding new tenants for them, said Kyle Cofer, project director for The Retail Coach, a retail recruiting firm with its headquarters in Tupelo.
County Line Plaza includes Chik-Fil-A, Conn’s, Shoe Station, Big Lots, Burke’s Outlet, Tuesday Morning and additional retailers.
Ridgewood Court includes Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, Dollar Tree, Roses, Old Navy, to name just a few of the retailers.
Cofer, who names clothing retailers as a good fit for East County Line Road, said recruitment is targeted.
“It’s not a one-come, one-all approach,” he said. “We want to target retail and restaurants that are a fit for a community.”
The first year of work for a retail recruiter involves gathering data and making initial contracts, and the second and third years are courting retailers for a market, said Jhai Keeton, deputy director of planning and development for the city of Jackson.
Often, retailers make decisions about locations two or three years ahead of time, he said.
The Retail Coach, which has a year-to-year contract with the city, has spent the last year gathering data and forming a list of retailers that would be a good fit for East County Line Road, Cofer said.
“I firmly believe we can be successful,” he said. “This isn’t an overnight process, especially recruiting national brands. It takes time. With the interest we have gathered during this first year, I’m happy with where we stand.”
The average household income in an area and traffic counts are statistics retailers use to make decisions, Keeton said.
“The data tells a retailer they can make money in a market,” he said. “It takes all of the emotion out of decisions.”
The city will benefit by hiring a retail recruiter to help because the recruiter is familiar with how businesses make determinations about locations and can provide helpful information, he said.
“We’re positioning ourselves to be more competitive and pro-active,” Keeton said. “Retail recruitment is one of the tools you have to have in your tool kit when you’re getting started. Madison doesn’t need a retailer recruiter because it has a brand and a narrative. Ridgeland doesn’t need it.”
Keeton believes the media’s reporting on crime and homeless people hurts Jackson more than anything.
“If that’s all we talk about, we can’t expect to attract any investments,” he said. “When the Retail Coach talks to retailers, they don’t talk about crime. They’re looking at data and discuss that.”
The Retail Coach is also working on prospects for U.S. Highway 80 but interest is not as strong as what East County Line Road generates, Cofer said.
Earlier this year, The Retail Coach hosted a franchising workshop for Jackson residents and about 15 people attended, Keeton said.
“We have business people in Jackson who have capital and are interested in franchises,” he said.
