ATLANTA—What do you get when you cross a retail real estate advisory firm with an industrial advisory firm? A new joint venture called Retail Logistics Group.

Two of the nation's largest real estate service providers just launched a joint venture to establish a consulting group, independent of their primary firms. Retail Logistics is all about addressing what many see as the growing importance of distribution centers to retailers' sales channels.

Binswanger, which provides business location consulting, acquisition, financing, project management, and disposition of distribution and manufacturing facilities, is teaming up with The Shopping Center Group, the largest retail-only real estate advisory firm in the Eastern United States. Under the leadership of Jeff Binswanger, president of Binswanger, and David Birnbrey, co-CEO of The Shopping Center Group, the new firm wants to advise retailers on the most effective site location strategies for distribution centers based on a combination of traditional retail and industrial site selection criteria.