PHILADELPHIA-Metro Commercial Real Estate is opening a third office, this one in Center City, here. The new office will begin at 1,600 square feet at 123 South Broad St. and will be headed-up by Metro president Steven H. Gartner. The move comes after a 25-year tenure in the Philadelphia-metro region, but without being in the city itself. Its other two offices are located in suburban Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Gartner tells GlobeSt.com that the move was a pretty simple decision. Metro has been a full-service retail company for Philadelphia for a long time, he explains, and Center City is a place they’ve done a lot of business, so the move just made sense. He also notes that timing played a role in the company’s expansion. “The worst is behind us,” Gartner says. “We have to be able to service expanding retailers,” and have the capabilities to serve what they need.

The location also gives Metro a foothold in hiring talent which may not find its way outside the city limits. Gartner also notes that retail in Philadelphia is looking up, with a few caveats. “The market is up in part because of the low pipeline where retail wants to be,” in Philadelphia, Gartner tells GlobeSt.com. This drives prices up as everyone “wants to be on the same pinhead.” Neighborhood street retail is suffering, he notes, particularly in the suburbs. Local retail is running into trouble, much of it from not getting trade credit, he points out. And while retail is looking good in the short-term, worries about inflation remain, he says.