Retail Retold

Today Chris is joined by Mark Cassell, a partner at LevRose Commercial Real Estate who specializes in net leased investment sales. Chris and Mark dive into the differences between working in industrial versus retail markets and the construction of the largest building in the state of Arizona.

"People always come first in my organization."  Joe Kahn believes that putting the employees at the forefront of an organization will ultimately lead to a successful business. So that's exactly what he did.  Joe is the founder and CEO of Condado Tacos, a fast-casual, experiential taco joint with the original restaurant located in Columbus, Ohio. He now has over 39 locations across t...

Are you ready to crave delicious pizza and wine?  Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurants is marrying their very successful restaurant concepts with authentic, high-quality pizza born in the heart of Rome and brining it to Oak Brook, Illinois. By partnering with chef Luca Issa to open up the first Piccolo Buco in the United States, Cooper's Hawk has found a new way for their customers to experie...

It's prediction time! In a special edition of Retail Retold, "What's in Store" hosts Chris Ressa and Karly Iacono unpack their top retail real estate predictions for 2023. Topics include cross-selling, rising interest rates, and store expansions. What are your retail predictions for the upcoming year? Listen now!

"I took every penny I owned and put it into this business." Deanna Wallin, CEO and founder of Naples Soap, started her business in 2009 right after the market crash. Her goal was to create natural soaps and beauty products without any added chemicals. In 2023 Naples Soap will have 13 locations across Florida. Deanna and Chris discuss the evolution of the brand and how the team is rebuilding and ex...

How do retailers determine where to open new stores? The answer is data.  This week, Chris chats with Brin Snelling who works in strategy and analytics at Retail Union, and is also a contributing writer at Forbes. Listen to them break down how data analytics can connect the store and the customer to build retail real estate strategies and determine where to open a new location.

Michael Branton has been in the retail business for 17 years and worked for a third party service provider for 15 years in leasing and property management. Now Michael works on the tenant advisory side of the business at Conviser Property Group, and today he joins Chris to talk about a specialty grocery store in southeastern Massachusetts. Chris and Michael discuss the challenges in the current ma...

This week's episode is all about security and organized crime in the retail world. Chris is joined by Shane Healey, Pete Kepler, and Matt Kelley, members of a task force created to reduce crime and theft for retailers. Shane has 30 years of experience in the police force and currently serves as the Chief of Police for the city of Opelika. Pete is the Director of Security and Investigations at Adva...

Simeon Siegel has been one of the most popular guests on our podcast, and this week he's back to talk about all things retail! As the Managing Director and Senior Analyst at BMO Capital Markets, Simeon believes that in retail, we are all consumers first. Simeon and Chris discuss inflation, the cost of online shopping, and issues with inventory and supply chain in the changing market. Listen in to...

Today's guests are Dana Telsey and Joe Feldman, CEO and Senior Managing Director of Telsey Advisory Group. Telsey covers a variety of retail areas, including the consumer side, banking and consulting, and asset management. Listen in as Dana, Joe and Chris discuss the upcoming holiday season and dive into early deals, rising theft in stores, and the supply chain returning to pre-pandemic levels.

Brett Sheets has provided strategic leadership for the National Leasing Team at VEREIT for the past 14 years. On today's episode, Brett joins Chris to discuss how he jumped from brokerage to retail, the state of the current market, and his best renewal strategies. He dives into an intriguing story about the role of a pylon sign in one of his leasing deals.

Today's episode highlights a leasing deal Chris worked on for a fitness center in Wisconsin. Chris emphasizes the importance of speed when working with a landlord, and how moving quicker than your opponent is key for a successful deal. Listen in to hear more about this interesting deal!

Nick Harbaugh has been travelling the world for the past year, visiting a different country every month and learning about the similarities and differences within retail in a variety of cultures. Nick's experiences have earned him the title "Retail Nomad". Today, Nick joins Chris to discuss what his travels have taught him thus far and brings us a story from colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, as he...

For a long time, the retail world had a specific vision of what the drivers of foot traffic are at commercial properties. Recently, that vision has been flipped on it's head. Today's episode dives into the future of co-tenancy in shopping centers as consumer desires are changing and details a specific deal at DLC.

This week's episode is all about new tech in real estate. What impact has this had, and how is the art of real estate still relevant? Listen in as Chris dives into location analytics and sales forecasting software, two factors that have a big impact on retail real estate.

Black Friday deals are coming early this year! Today’s podcast episode is a recording of What's In Store, a live show with Chris Ressa and Karly Iacono that takes place once a month on LinkedIn. In these live shows, they discuss the latest news in retail and real estate. This week's episode discusses why holiday sales are starting early this season, specifically at Target and Amazon. Are rising le...

The average commercial real estate deal takes 2-3 months to complete. Eddie Gonzalez finished one in 26 hours. Today, Chris is joined by Eddie Gonzalez, an advisor at SVN Desert Commercial Advisors. Eddie discusses his career at the Ritz Carlton, and how he translated his experience into the brokerage industry. While discussing a deal with an insurance agency based in Arizona, Eddie emphasizes the...

Today Chris is joined by Vadim Rey, a former navy officer and founder of Fair Winds Capital Investments. Fair Winds is a veteran-owned-and-operated real estate company that specializes in multi-family real estate. Listen in as Vadim talks about how his team establishes trust with their business partners, the benefits of a MLO (Master Lease Option), and how to attract people to your team.

We all know the benefits of connecting with others and growing your professional network. This can happen at events, the office, or through industry associations. Aside from professional connections, what is the importance of social connections? Today Chris talks about a recent event in which he was asked to help with the closing of a deal. After a crazy coincidence, Chris realized the value of ge...

Last December, Chris Ressa and Karly Iacono predicted that more online stores would close than physical stores in 2022. In today's episode, Chris addresses his previous 2022 predictions on eCommerce and the accelerating trends we will continue to see throughout the rest of the year. Are omnichannel companies the way of the future? Listen in to hear about why it's getting harder to make money on eC...

Today we have a special edition episode of Retail Retold.  What’s In Store? is an interactive discussion between Karly Iacono and Chris Ressa, where they unpack the latest trends at the intersection of retail and real estate. The show airs once a month on LinkedIn Live. In this latest episode, they discuss 3 important real estate topics: eminent domain, the rise of retail rents, and retail re...

Thomas Onder is a shareholder and chair of Shopping Center & Retail Development Group at Stark & Stark. Tom concentrates his practice in development, leasing and commercial litigation, and focuses on the areas of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, as well as across the country. Today Tom joins Chris as they discuss the potential recession, soaring rents, and the impacts of rising cost...

Today Chris is joined by Timothy Duggan, an attorney at Stark & Stark. Timothy specializes in representing property owners in eminent domain cases, as well as working on bankruptcy cases. Listen in as Timothy talks about eminent domain and dives into a recent case involving a car dealership.

Nichole Popovics has been in the real estate business for over 20 years, and recently made the career switch from leasing to focus on brokerage. As the EVP/Managing Director Tenant Services, Nichole's day-to-day life involves bringing in new business and assisting her brokerage team in all areas of real estate at The Shopping Center Group. Listen in as Nichole discusses her role in the expansion o...

Chris is joined by Kevin Nassimi to talk expansion and his Burlington deal in Clifton, NJ. Kevin is the Vice President of Leasing & Head of IT at Nassimi Realty, a family owned business that has been in real estate for over 20 years. Listen now!