Events Have to be Consistent With the Overall Project

Bayer Properties retail brand strategist, Lindsay Bayer Shipp.

Part 2 of 2 In part 1 of this two-part Q&A, Bayer Properties retail brand strategist, Lindsay Bayer Shipp , told us that a shift has occurred in the way landlords are wooing tenants to their properties. She also talked about how developers should seek out tenants that are going to bring people to their developments several times a week. In this article, she talks about common areas and the importance of analytics. “Common areas within a center aren’t just filled with benches anymore. Retailers want everything at a property to be purposeful,” she tells GlobeSt.com. At The Summit at Fritz Farm for example, Bayer Properties has retained a well-known landscape architect to create purposeful and interactive green spaces. Additionally, programming that brings consumers on-site is critical, she says. “From yoga to working with local colleges to create an art display or a free concert, it’s important to create events and experiences with a super regional draw,” she says. “Again, these events have to be consistent with the overall project and the local market. What works in one center might not work in another.” Bayer Properties is digging in deep to the analytics of its customer and how they shop, how long they stay at its properties and where they are going, Bayer Shipp explains. “This helps us to be smarter developers, which equates to higher sales for our tenants.” But at the end of the day, she says, trends are what they are—trends. “There’s a strong focus on millennials right now but only thinking of the millennial set can be dangerous. Instead, we are focused on trying to create a project that’s for everyone,” she says. For example, across the street from The Summit at Fritz Farm, she says there will be a state-of-the-art senior living facility, which will be highly important to traffic at its restaurants. “You have to cater to all audiences from millennials to baby boomers in order to succeed.”