Creativity Required to Fit In New Retail Concepts

Richard Broder, chief executive officer Broder & Sachse Real Estate

CHICAGO—Broder & Sachse Real Estate is one of many firms that has helped lead the transformation of Downtown Detroit. The CBD that once was a posterchild for disinvestment and bankruptcy has become a thriving core with new retail, multifamily housing, renovated office buildings and sparkling amenities. But the lessons that local developers and landlords are learning as they go forward with the downtown’s transformation can be applied to many cities and submarkets. That’s especially true for markets that, like Detroit, are less mature and have not had opportunities to evolve organically. And one of the most important tasks developers need to understand is how to integrate new retail concepts into the revival of untraditional spaces. GlobeSt.com spoke with Richard Broder, chief executive officer Broder & Sachse Real Estate, on the how the company was meeting those challenges.

Globe St: With urban centers across the country becoming increasingly popular infill and redevelopment targets, most notably for mixed-use concepts, we are seeing retail brands and businesses forced to come with new formats and floorplans to “fit in” with unconventional spaces and opportunities.