Hans said his company prefers to put its theaters in regional malls or power centers with entertainment themes - the best locations are near freeway exits. It usually avoids stand-alone sites unless there are nearby restaurants and other draws. When it comes to parking, developers can sometimes be blindsided by their own success. Caruso said that because consumers are staying longer than anticipated at one of his company's retail projects, more parking space had to be added. Brown said that developers have to think carefully about how to best integrate parking with retailing to create a flair that will attract customers.
Parking is the lobby to a retail project.
On the question of attracting customers, Caruso said developers must offer a unique mix of tenants and merchandise and not simply duplicate what can be found elsewhere. But communities still want nationally recognized retailers because of their drawing power, Brown commented. Heiss said his company looks for proven retailers who are open to new concepts and locations. As to the effect of the Internet on retailing, Caruso said some consumers who find parking a hassle could choose to shop online instead. If consumers buy on the Internet, retailers and developers could lose sales or rents based on a percentage of sales.