Focus Through the Storm, Retail Seekers Told

Economic development staff were in Omaha this week exploring opportunities to attract new retailers to Columbia by means of the International Council of Shopping Centers' Heartland Idea Exchange.

Retailers and retail developers from as far as Kansas City and Chicago are attending this event, which has also drawn representatives from several Midwest cities. The local government people and developers are here to make or renew contacts with retailers who may be interested in specific local projects, and the retailers are there to learn what new opportunities may be available.

Both sides of this economic equation were encouraged by speakers at the event to focus on the long-term prospects for growth; many of the formal presentations are from retailers who are doing well and looking to expand either now (in a few cases) or in the longer term, when the economy rebounds. Several speakers cited the need to keep calm during times of economic stress.

While Columbia has no new large-scale retail development currently on tap, City staff are here to feel out the retail market, lay the foundation for future growth, and make connections; they are also promoting the Columbia Centre and Admiral Trost developments. A current priority is identifying a family-style restaurant to locate in the Trost center, near the new Hampton Inn hotel.

Founded in 1957, the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) is the global trade association of the shopping center industry. Its 70,000 members in the United States, Canada and more than eighty other countries include shopping center owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, lenders, retailers and other professionals as well as academics and public officials.