RETAIL DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE

H. Blount Hunter's 25-year career in retail research encompasses multiple areas of expertise:

  1. Pre-development Feasibility Assessment for Retail Centers and Retail Districts
  2. Sales Modeling/Forecasting as Site Selection Tool
  3. Pre-Opening Merchandising Strategy Determination
  4. Pre- and Post-Opening Leasing Support
  5. Post-Opening Trade Area Determination/Performance Measurement
  6. Post-Opening Customer Profile Creation
  7. Expansion Analysis/Sales Projections
  8. Department Store Solicitation/Market Evaluation
  9. Strategic Investment Analysis and Acquisition/Disposition Due Diligence
10. Area and Consumer Research/Capture Analysis and Shopper Profiles

H. Blount Hunter's experience covers a variety of project types in urban and suburban settings:

• "Main Street" (CBD) Retail/Dining/Entertainment
• Retail and Food Components of Arts Districts and Entertainment Centers
• Department Store-Anchored Urban Shopping Centers
• Festival Marketplaces/Tourist-Oriented Retail Centers
• Suburban Regional Shopping Malls
• Neighborhood and Community Strip Centers
• Specialty Retail/Food Centers
• Mixed-Use Properties (Retail/Office/Hotel)
• Manufacturer's Outlet Centers

While at The Rouse Company, Hunter specialized in generating leasing themes and support materials for tenant solicitation leading to many deals including the first J. Crew retail store in the U.S. Also while at The Rouse Company, Hunter served on the consulting staff of the American City Corporation where he evaluated retail potential as part of comprehensive planning programs in the downtown areas of small and medium-sized markets across the nation.

Hunter has lectured in The Johns Hopkins University Graduate Real Estate program, participated in Urban Land Institute Advisory Panels, served as a juror in the 2000 International Downtown Association's Achievement Awards, and addressed many industry groups including the International Council of Shopping Centers, American Chamber of Commerce Research Association, Shop America, and Virginia Downtown Development Association. He authored a chapter on "Main Street Retail Market Analysis" in a ULI textbook. His affiliations include the International Downtown Association, the Urban Land Institute, Congress for the New Urbanism, and the International Council of Shopping Centers. He serves on the Board of the Old Dominion University Real Estate Foundation and is an officer of the Norfolk Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc.