LAS VEGAS-Some retailers are still growing today despite thedownturn, but they face a different environment in terms of doingdeals than they did when the economy was roaring. And that doesn’tnecessarily mean that they can call their own tune in leasenegotiations because the recession has emptied out a lot of retailspace, panelists pointed out at an ICSC panel Sunday at RECon, theannual ICSC spring conference here at the Las Vegas ConventionCenter.

For example, panelist Debbie Ferrell, senior manager of realestate channel development for T-Mobile, pointed out that thecompany has a “very aggressive” expansion plan for 200 newlocations this year, but faces some challenges in finding thoselocations. For one, landlords often want longer lease terms. Foranother, T-Mobile is looking for “A” locations and “It’s achallenge to find them,” she said―when such sites areavailable, landlords are often holding out for higher rents.

The panelists generally agreed that although rental rates areobviously one of their chief concerns in lease negotiations, otheritems on their negotiating lists can be sticking points too.Ferrell pointed out, for example, that exclusivity is a big concernof T-Mobile, as is co-tenancy. “When we go into a center and thereare only a handful of tenants, that’s a big challenge because, atthe end of the day, we need foot traffic,” she said. Ferrell addedthat, in addition to exclusivity, marketing is an important concernfor T-Mobile because the company likes to be able to stage grandopenings, which require landlord consent for any marketingactivities outside of the retailer’s own space.